Alice in Wonderland: Once More
by Ronnie343
Summary: She noticed 5 figures: a rabbit, a hare, a white mouse, a floating cat and a young woman with white hair, black lips and longing eyes. "Okay, that's it. I have officially gone crazy." One of the animals then spoke. "Don't you mean Mad, lassie?"
1. Prologue

**My first story and first Alice in Wonderland fanfic. I got this from a plot bunny bouncing in my head a couple of months ago. So I gave it a carrot and got this in return!**

**If Alice in Wonderland was mine, I wouldn't be on here typing this.**

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As she rose up from the hole, she could find herself forgetting everything she had just encountered, including her new friends. She clung to the side of the rabbit hole and managed to pull herself up, all her memories lost except for one: a promise. A promise that she had made to..to someone. She couldn't remember his name, but he had the most interesting appearance. To her, that is. But the only thing she could see were his infectious smile and bright green eyes. That image stuck with her as she faced Hamish Ascot and fiercely rejected his proposal, along with telling the others the things that she always wanted to say.

Now here she was, on a boat to China, calling a blue butterfly that had just landed on her shoulder "Abosolem." 'Peculiar name', she thought to herself, although it was a very familiar one. She shook if off and focused on the trip ahead. In those following years, she bewildered men with her ideas of how women should be treated, disgusting and awing them when she wanted to be included on business matters.

One of the men who was awed went by the name of Thomas Pham. He was about her age, a tall figure with soft brown eyes and black hair that seemed to clip at his eyebrows. Somehow this chinaman took a fancy to her "childish" ways. The two became business partners and close friends, enough to the point when she revealed the strange dreams that had been occuring to her one night. She was surprised to hear him laugh and tell her that he had been experiencing the same as well. This only drew the two closer, but they were nearly tore apart when she overheard of his plan to announce to her that he loved her. Assuring her that he wasn't sent by her mother, she finally accepted his feelings and soon, the two were married.

They returned to England years later and surprised her family with the announcement of their marriage (especially her mother, who was determined to marry her off if she found out that her daughter still hadn't married after 8 years.) One day, while taking a stroll around the Kingsleigh residence, she fell and received a disastrous blow to the head, causing all the memories of Underland to come rushing back. She informed her husband of the memories and he believed her, even suggesting that she keep a diary of them so she wouldn't forget. Soon, the two decided once and for all that they should return to back to Underland, so that the ones they left would be assured that they haven't forgotten them. But before they could even embark on the journey, both contracted a deadly illness that took her life and his soon afterward. Fortunately, they had a young lad by the name of Lewis Pham, who had the soft brown eyes of his father and golden blonde locks of his mother. He took the diary and accidentally left it in the Ascot residence, where it was carelessly tossed into the attic with the other books, not to be discovered for years...

XXX

Meanwhile in Underland, he watched helplessly as she slowly disappeared. The Queen covered her face to hide her tears as the others cried and even the mouse showed signs of sadness, even though she quickly denied it. All eyes then turned to the miliner, who simply turned around and despite the tears streaming down his face, looked up, smiled and announced,

"She'll be back. I know she will. She promised. And that's the only assurance I need."

The others seem to agree, but still exchanged glances. The Queen then ordered her knights to rebuild the land. They started by destroying the castle in Salazen Glum and releasing its captives. They rebuilt the destroyed cities as well, starting with Witzend, mainly to give the green-eyed milliner back his home. The forest was soon restored to its former beauty, shining as brightly as ever. And after about a year, they decided to have a celebration of the one-year unanniversary of the cleansing of the Red Queen's destruction.

In the four years that followed, everything went back to normal, as normal as it was in Underland. The White Rabbit was soon one of the Keepers of Time (besides Time himself) and the Hare was assigned to help at the kitchen of Mamoreal, as with the Mouse as well. The Chesire Cat pretty remained as free as he always was and the milliner was Royal Hatter to the Queen once again.

Amid all this, among this small group of friends, everyone seemed to be holding their breath. They knew of the miliner's feelings for their Champion and weren't sure how he reacted to her departure. But somehow, he managed to keep an optimistic outlook on things, happily creating hats for the people of Mamoreal and clothes for the Champion's return (all which were a shade of blue). He was saddened, yes, but he was Mad as well, Mad enough to know that she meant to keep her Promise and return, no matter how long it took ("As long as it doesn't take Too Long, no matter how long Too Long is, I shall wait for her return."). So, he held onto the Promise for those five years, a Doubt not entering his head.

Not until his recent argument with Time of course.

Now, he knew Time was a fussy fellow. They had occasional arguments, including the one in which Time sulked for thirteen years, leaving him and his friends stuck at 6:00 PM until her return. But this time, he wanted Time so slow down a bit so she would return sooner. Time automatically made a fuss about it, saying the last time he slowed down, everyone complained about how slow their UnBirthdays were coming. It soon got heated, leading up to these statements:

"Why should wait for you? Even her? I am Time, for I keep Time and I make the Time. She may never come back and I should know, for I know the exact length of time she's been gone."

"She promised me she would come back. She's done it and she'll do it again. I know this."

"You know, Tarrant, I probably shouldn't say this, but Abovelandians have a bad habit."

"Nay. And you know?"

"Of course I do. It's FORGETTING."

This all but caused him to stop talking. He quickly muttered an apology and left. He sat in his workshop, working on hats nonstop when it struck him again. _What if she didn't come back? What if she had forgotten, like he had said? No, that can't be true. She made a Promise. And Promises are not to be broken. What is there to worry about? _Those thoughts have been entering his head from time to time, slowly creating a Doubt that he didn't want to have...

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**By the way, only five years have past in Underland while many have past in the Aboveland for Alice. That, and Thomas Pham was inspired by a friend at school who has the exactly the same last name (even though it's probably spelled differently). No flames please! I don't like being burned and I'm sure you don't either! **


	2. Chapter 1: Full of Nonsense

Morning had arrived in the Kingsley household. 20-year-old Allison opened her eyes, stretched, and proceeded to shake her golden hair like a dog to remove the curls from her face. After a quick shower, she slipped on a casual shirt, along with jeans that had been worn out over the years. Her small size hadn't changed since she was 17. A high-pitched voice filled the hallways and she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes?" she yelled, knowing her mother couldn't hear unless she screamed. The only response was an irritated scream to get out of bed and get to the table. Allison reluctantly appeared from her room, thinking about how easier life could be if everyone could get up at their leisure. She plopped down at the table and stared at her mother with sleepy eyes. "Morning."

"Alice Kingsley!" This was her nickname, which was a lot easier to use when Heather was angry at her. "Don't you have anything else to do but to laze around all morning? It's nearly 9:00!"

"And it's still morning," the young woman replied, toying around with her food. Her mother huffed at her, not deterred.

"You still didn't get up when we called you," she continued unhappily. "A young woman like you should learn to be prompt at your age."

"Waking up at 6:00 in the morning is not my idea of being 'prompt', Allison said. "It's my idea of being totally exhausted. 7 or 8 o' clock is more like it. You feel refreshed and you're in a much better mood. Sacrificing promptness for comfort. What a silly idea."

"Why is it that you're always like this, Alice?" Her older sister, Mary Kingsley, asked (Almost every day). "You're untidy, almost always a mess. You never keep up with the fashions and you insist on being on an equal level with men. Why can't you just be normal for once?"

"Because to be normal is to be in the same routine every single day," Allison added. "I'd rather not be a part of that routine. To me, by being an outcast, you can be yourself. Why everyone else doesn't agree, including you, I just don't get."

Her mother and sister only exchanged glances. This was expected of her. Mary then decided to change the subject.

"So, Alice," started she. "Are you still deciding about coming to the party tonight? Everyone's going to be there."

"I've told you a million times, yes," Allison groaned. Her sister had been bringing up the party at the Ascots for weeks now. They had been lifelong friends with them, but it didn't seem important to constantly hear this every day. If only she could fall down into a hole whenever she wanted to… "Alice." She snapped back into reality at her sister's voice. "Stop daydreaming so much. People would think you're weird."

"I already am weird," replied Allison, casually, emptying her bowl and excusing herself from the table.

"By the way, Allison," her mother called as she climbed the stairs. "The Ascots want us to visit a few hours before it begins. Be ready!" Allison said that she would and retreated to the sanctuary known as her bedroom. Plopping down on the bed, she looked at the window, watching the strange blue butterfly that had been landing on the sill every day for almost a week now. It seemed to be watching her, as if it had known her from somewhere. She opened the window and held her finger out, coaxing it to land on it. After a few minutes, it finally did and she began to speak to it quietly. "You know, sometimes I feel as if you're the only one who understands me. It gets crazy around here sometimes, with my sister and mother just begging me to become normal. What's the point? Dad would've never done this to me, for he was always encouraging me to be myself. He acted the same way I did and ended up expanding his finance company farther than anyone else I know. If I were you, I'd just-."

"Allison!"

Almost on instinct, the butterfly took to flight and exited out the window. Allison adjusted herself on the bed, acting nonchalant as her sister opened the door. "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh…that was my radio," Allison lied. "You know how it turns on sometimes." Mary sighed and shook her head, believing her. She left her sister in silence, answering Heather's question with a swift "no". Allison breathed a sigh of relief and glanced back at the window, only to see the butterfly fly out of sight.

XXX

"My Queen!" Nivens dashed through the halls of Mamoreal, weaving and dodging the onlookers. His call of "My Queen!" echoed throughout the castle, only to be stopped when he finally reached Mirana. "McTwisp, what's the matter?" she asked, worried. Even since the Hatter finally lost it, Nivens had been on edge lately, hoping it wouldn't repeat itself.

"Your Majesty, Absolem…" he managed to stutter. "Absolem what?" Mivana leaned forward, eager to hear the news.

"He believes he may have found Alice!" he gasped. Her eyes widened. "Alice…" she whispered. "Are you sure, McTwisp?" "Yes, Your Majesty," replied the white rabbit, twitching in anxiousness.

"It's been five years," the White Queen said. "I hope she hasn't lost her muchness."

"Should I tell the Hatter?" She only shook her head at his question. "Not yet. He might not believe you. I warned him about talking to Time about this. But I would like for you to inform the others of this. Our Champion may return."

"'May' your Majesty?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"The Orachulum won't unroll past the next day. Mainly because of Absolem's absence," started she. "If he returns, it may reveal of her coming back to Underland. Either that or…"

"Or what?" Nivens questioned.

"We may have to retrieve her ourselves," she remarked. Nivens perked up at the thought. "Even though I'm not sure how. Have you been up there McTwisp?"

"Not since the Charpus Day, Your Majesty." Otherwise known as the day McTwisp left Underland to search for Alice five years ago.

Mirana sighed and directed her gaze towards the lopsided house outside. "Let's hope we here from him soon."

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**I know this chapter is short, but somehow it seemed more reasonable to stop at this point.**


	3. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Discovery

**I'm so glad that this chapter is longer than the others. I actually enjoyed writing the bottom portion of this one. Thanks for the reviews they keep me going.**

**Disclaimer: If Alice in Wonderland was mine, I would either have Burton or Disney as my last name. I have neither.**

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As the Kingsley family got into the car, Allison absentmindedly pulled out her iPod and placed the earbuds in her ears. Her mother rolled her eyes as she started the car, while Mary simply giggled at her younger sister's strange ways. Allison watched as the houses passed by, remembering the words her grandfather told her some time ago…

_Young Allison Kingsley raced ahead of her grandfather, who was laughing and asking her to slow down, even though he could catch up with her. She stopped at a small clearing, looking up at the trees and sky. He sat down by her._

_"I like it."_

_"I'm sure you do, Alice."_

_"I hope it will stay here forever. That so, I can play forever!" She turned towards him. "And with you, Grandfather."_

_He smiled and sighed as his granddaughter's innocence. "I hope it does as well."_

He died soon afterward. And sadly, those words would seem empty as real estate agents bought up the land and it was cleared for expensive mansions and and other residences. Allison sighed, only to see the familiar white, large extravagant building known as the Ascot mansion. As they pulled in, they were greeted by their butler who, almost as if on cue, opened the door for them. Mr. Ascot greeted them with a large grin, while his wife waved and went along with her business as if nothing happened. Harry Ascot then greeted Allison and escorted her inside. The others stayed behind for a few minutes before speaking.

"I'm sure you three are coming to the party tonight?" Mr. Ascot asked.

"As expected," replied Heather, nodding. "Hopefully everything goes as planned."

"Mum, you know how Alice feels about this," Mary pleaded. "If she finds out..."

"Don't worry," Heather interrupted. "It's not like it's her engagement party. Just a little experiment to see what happens."

"And you should know that Alice likes to do experiments herself," Mary mumbled as the went inside. "Not being experimented with."

In another part of the house, Harry constantly tried to get Allison's attention as she wandered around, bored with the current situation. "Alice!" She whipped around. "Hmm?"

Harry sighed. "Don't you have anything else to do besides wonder around all day?"

"What else is there to do?" She asked nonchanlantly. "I can't just stare at you all day, can I?" Harry turned away, obviously enlightened and embarrassed at the same time. Allison just stared at her old friend. He was about 6'0" with a lean and lanky figure. He had the short red hair of his father trimmed just about his eyebrows and his face was long, but had a rounded chin. Why he would be embarrassed puzzled the young woman greatly. Once he composed himself, he turned back only to see her wander aimlessly towards the attic, even though she had already been there plenty of times before. Sighing, he followed her into the warm, dark room and flipped the switch. There were boxes everywhere, mainly filled with family heirlooms that no one wanted to get rid of. Old tables and chairs covered the empty spaces, along with some portraits of the old family. Allison immediately began rummaging through one of the boxes as if she had a purpose.

"Alice," Harry asked, puzzled as always by her behavior. "What in the world are you doing?"

"I'm just looking," she answered. "I don't see what the problem is with that."

Harry shook his head. "Why here?"

Allison pondered a bit before answering. "I'm not sure. Mum told me that sometimes our relatives would leave things here and forget them and your family would as well. Like when you left your inhaler in our bathroom." Harry coughed in response while she continued her search. After a few minutes, he succumbed to helping her to find her family's "lost" things. That's when a small book gained her attention. Slowly picking it up, she noticed that it was in good shape for it had been hardly used. The cover was worn out, though, but seemed to have the embroidering of the name "Alice Kingsleigh" on the front. The binding was stitched with a yellowish, flowery design. Harry almost laughed when he saw the faded out name. "It sounds like yours."

"I know," Allison replied, staring at the book in awe. "It's weird."

She opened the book carefully. On the inside was a signature that faintly read "Alice Kingsleigh-Pham. A record of all my dreams about Underland." Allison read it again to make sure. Even though she had never heard of a country with that name, she smiled. She liked the way it sounded. Harry, on the other hand, was confused and disinterested.

"Underland," he said. "Who would ever name their dreams that?"

"I might," answered Allison, somewhat absentmindedly. "Sounds like an interesting place to me."

"As expected," Harry sighed. Both turned their heads at the sound of footsteps, which belonged to Heather.

"Mum," Allison asked curiously. "Do you know what this is?"

Heather took the book and after about a minute of flipping through the pages, handed it back to her daughter. "It's a diary belonging to your great-great grandmother, Alice Kingsleigh-Pham. Some of our older family members stated that she was strong-willed and against the norm of society, but she had her own grace and beauty as well. She had these strange recurring dreams, which she claimed were about another world that she had gone to. Of course, they didn't believe her. Her husband encouraged her even more when he convinced to write those dreams in a diary. But most thought it was full of nonsense. They were surprised at how open she was about things. That old thing probably won't be interesting to a girl like-."

She watched in disbelief as Allison placed the diary inside her jacket and smiled at her mother. She headed downstairs, answering her sister's call. Harry and Heather exchanged glances. "I forgot who I was talking to," she remarked. He only nodded in response.

XXX

Quietly and cautiously, Mallymkun squeezed through the crack of an ajar door. The room she entered was full of hats of all shapes, sizes and colors. They were stacked very neatly at the back of the room, nearly touching the ceiling. At the left was a small section of dresses with matching hats, all which were different shades of blue (With a pink one here and a green one there-the Hatter just recently decided that the Champion's wardrobe needed a little bit of variety.). In the corner was the most absurdly colored bed with a comforter that was patched up over the years in the craziest combinations, but it was wonderful in it's own Underlandian way. Laying on it was the Hatter, his face hidden by his hat, quietly murmuring to himself, completely unaware of the small visitor that had just entered his room. He was dressed in the suit he wore on the Frabjous Day, either for remembrance or for the fact that it was only about a week or so until the unanniversary celebration of the victorious battle that took place on that day. After about a minute or so, Mallymkun cleared her throat to announce her presence. He didn't even stir.

"Um 'atter," Mallymkun started. "The White Queen wanted to know how you preferred your meal tonight. Either retossed or scrambled." He said nothing in response, still muttering. She continued, "Her Majesty only wants the best for you, Tarrant. In fact, we all do..."

"If she wanted the best for me," replied Tarrant wearily, "why did she let her go?"

Mallymkun nearly choked. He been mentioning Alice for some time now. "Hatter, I think it's best for you to forget about this-her-for now."

"How can I?" He nervously twiddled his fingers, fearing he was going to lose control of himself again. "She promised me that she would come back..."

"She promised all of us!" the mouse screamed. "The bloody girl promised all of us that she would return to Underland! Even I wanted her to stay! She belonged here! But I don't know what was going on in that head of hers because she wanted to go back to that drab, colorless place! Now, it's been almost 5 years since that day and I have a feeling that..." Mallymkun stopped and clasped her hands over her mouth, quickly realizing that she may have crossed the line with those words. He looked up from under his hat and slowly turned his head towards Mally. She froze at the sight. His eyes were menacing yellow, the rims lined with crimson red and his eyelids grew unnaturally dark. A low growl rose from his throat when he spoke. "What is ye sayin'? Tha' she's forgotten abou' mae? Abou' ye?"

Mallymkun could only speak the truth. "Aye, 'atter. Alice may have forgotten about us all..."

That was more than Tarrant could take. In almost an instant he rose up from the bed, his feet crashing onto the floor and sending Mallymkun scurrying. He stared at her in utmost disbelief. "Why is ye sayin' thes' things, Mally? Why is ye tryin' tae convince mae that Ah'm wrong? Ah know the lass better tha' mos' believe and th' last thing Ah needs is ye tellin' mae tha' Ah'm mad!"

"You've always been, Hatter," whispered Mallymkun, unsure of whether her still standing there was courage or a death sentence. "But sometimes you just need to let it go...that's what everyone else is trying to do themselves..."

"No...no..." The hue of his eyes was switching rapidly between yellow and blue. "She...she promised me...she promised...she didn't...she can't...why...I can't forget her.. I just can't..."

Mallymkun decided to use this as her cue to leave, for when he started rambling like this he only descended farther into his own Madness. Once she stepped outside, she heard his scream of Anguish as he proceeded to tear the room apart. She scrambled down the glassy white stairs, almost certain if she stayed there any longer he would attack her next. Noticing her small friend, Mirana bent down with her hands cupped together, allowing Mallymkun to take shelter in them. Both exchanged glances. If Absolem couldn't inform them about his findings about the Maybe Alice soon, it may be too late for the Hatter.

As they grieved, Tarrant was upstairs, flinging hats, tools and other things relentlessly across the room. Flipping over his work desk, he stamped on his recent creations in anger. The moment he grabbed a certain blue dress in an attempt to shred it to pieces, he stopped. Tarrant felt the soft fabric with caution, carefully letting it in run between his fingers. Tears streamed down his face as he buried his face in the clothing, his eyes a shade of dark blue. He crumbled onto the floor, sinking further into his Madness than ever before as he lost his grip on Reality. The Hatter then started to rock back and forth, the dress in his arms, repeating the same words over and over again.

"She promised me. She promised...she promised..."


	4. Chapter 3: A Failed Experiment

**Much thanks to A. Kingsleigh for pointing out a mistake in the last two chapters. So now I hope the modern characters don't sound as rustic as they used to!**

**If Alice in Wonderland was mine, I'd have kept the original script. Sadly, it isn't.**

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"Oh, c'mon, Alice!" complained Mary. "Stop squirming so much!"

"I just told you I can do my own hair!" Allison screamed back.

"If I let you do your own hair, " Mary said, holding her sister down, "you'd probably come up with this really weird hairstyle. Then we'd get laughed at. Don't you know how embarrassing that is?"

"Yeah, right. To you, that is." Allison folded her arms, succumbing to fate. Mary sighed and went on brushing her hair, attempting mold the tangled mess into a bun. Allison's mind drifted to a memory of her late father. He laughed while she ran from her sister attempting to dress her...

_"I don't wanna go!" 6-year-old Allison Kingsley ran from Mary, who held a small dress in her hands. Charles just laughed as his youngest daughter escaped her sister's clutches and rammed into him._

_"Daddy! Help!" she yelped, burying her small face into his clothing. He only smiled and rubbed her head._

_"Mary, would you mind leaving for a bit? He asked, winking at her. She rolled her eyes, sighed and left. He then knelt down, eye-to-eye with Allison._

_"Be nice to you sister, okay?" She only huffed, folding her arms playfully. "Why?" she demanded. "I don't wanna go to the party. I'd rather stay home."_

_He acted as if he was thinking of an answer. "Because if you stay at home with me, you mum and sis would be worried. And besides, what's so fun about my work anyway?"_

_"You get to count money all day!" Allison threw her arms in the air, prompting him to pick her up. She squealed and squirmed fierce fully, only to hear him laugh more. When Mary returned, he had finally convinced her to go. Mary glanced at her father as Allison left the room. "She's really something, y'know, Dad? Just like you."_

_"Yeah," he chuckled. "That's what I was afraid of."_

Allison's eyes welled up with tears, remembering the day of the accident, only to feel a harsh tug in her hair and get pulled back into reality. "Allie, keep your head up!" Mary growled. She resented the fact that her father had died. Yes, Allison was outgoing, headstrong, stubborn, weird and everything else she could call her, but not as much as she was now. She loved her sister dearly, but she just wished she wasn't such an outcast.

After about an hour, Allison went upstairs to change. But before that, she wanted to call up a friend. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number of Daisy Jackson, an old friend who seemed to accept her for who she is. The phone rang a few times, followed by a distinctive click.

"Hello?"

"Diana, is Daisy there?"

"Oh, sure. I'll get her for you." Allison cringed as she called her sister's name. "Dais! It's Allie!" Ten seconds later, a more pleasant-sounding voice entered the headset. "Hey, Allison, what's up?"

"What else?" Allison complained. "Party at Ascots."

"Oh, right," Daisy said. "I thought you weren't going."

"Changed my mind," corrected Allison.

Daisy paused before speaking. "You really don't want to go, do you?"

"Of course not!" Allison nearly exclaimed. "I know Mary means well and everything, but I'd rather find a guy on my own time. Not hers. And why does she insist on Harry so much? I just don't get it."

"Oh, you don't know? Daisy asked. "It's obvious to everyone else. He seems to like you."

"SEEMS," Allison emphasized. Daisy sighed. "Okay, he does like you. Somehow, everyone else believes you two would make a great couple."

"Must I always be paired with someone before I'm aware of it?" Allison moaned. She heard Daisy's laugh through the receiver. "You've always been like this, Allison. Why can't you tell her yourself?"

Allison paused to think. To tell the truth, she never told anyone about how she truly feels about things, only to be pulled along like a dog on a leash. In reality, she was afraid to inform others of her opinions. Why, she never knew….

"Alice?" Daisy's worried voice brought her out of her thoughts. "I'm fine, Dais."

"I need to get prepared, "Daisy said, signaling to Alice that the conversation had ended for now. "I'll see you, tonight. Okay?"

"Alright." Closing the phone, she sighed, only to see a blue butterfly sitting idly on her dresser. She turned back around, before doing a double take. A blue butterfly...no, THE blue butterfly-from earlier-was actually right there, perching on the corner of her dresser. Rather, it was perching on the corner of her great-great grandmother's diary. Why the diary? And why would she ask that question about a butterfly? It can't be just from her imagination. She inched across the bed, holding her hand up to it. It landed just as it did before, except this time, the book flew open to the first page. "Don't tell me you want me to read this?" It simply took flight, going right past her ear. "Of course I would, you stupid girl."

Allison pushed away the notion to smack the butterfly between her palms and looked towards the diary, its open pages beckoning her to look inside. "...Well..." She took the opportunity eagerly, grabbing the book and directing her eyes towards the top of the first page. The butterfly landed on her shoulder, almost as if it was silently telling her to read on.

**March 23**  
_I'm falling down. Down a dark hole filled with the strangest of things, from lamps to a grand piano. I feel myself landing on a small bed, only to be propelled upwards and ever further down the hole. I crash through the ceiling, only to realize that I'm actually upside down as the room reverses itself and I hit the ground once more. The room I'm in is of a light brownish color, with brown and white tiles covering the floor. Four doors surround me, but I find that none of them led to the way out. Finding a small table in the middle of the room, I find a key which I try out on all the doors, only to see that it doesn't fit at all. I notice a curtain and moving it, see a small door. The key fits right in, but my body doesn't. So, walking back to the table, I notice a small bottle that says "Drink Me." I decide to take a chance with it, only to find myself shrinking-and in an entirely new dress. But the door is locked again and I try to reach the key by trying to pull myself onto the table. Realizing that wasn't going to work, I see a small cake that says "Eat Me." Well, if a drink can make me shrink, I guess a cake can make me grow. But I think I ate too much, for my head hit the ceiling. I take the small key in hand, drink the potion, shrink back to my small size and unlock the door... and that's where my dream ends._

"Allison!" Once she heard her name, she shut the book. "Are you getting ready?"

"Yeah...I mean, yes!" answered Allison, hastily.

"We're leaving in an hour, " Mary said. Allison waited until she heard her sister's footsteps fading away before opening the book again.

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"No problem," Allison remarked. "I'm fine."

"If you say so, " Heather replied. She turned her attention back to the road.

Allison leaned her head against the window. It's obvious that she wasn't fine. She was more interested in reading the diary than heading to the Ascots. She never expected for her head to be swimming with the vivid images it left on her mind. _A disappearing cat with the widest of grins, a dormouse who almost lived in a teapot, a hare who threw things at you whenever you came and went and a hatter with the most outrageous red hair and brightest green eyes you ever seen... _Somehow, the last image intrigued her the most.

When they finally arrived, Allison took one last glance at her outfit. It was a pale blue dress that hung right above her knees. White trimmed the edges of its skirt and she wore a white short sleeved jacket to match. She was automatically met by Harry and Daisy, who waved frantically to attract her attention. "Allison!"

They greeted each other with a hearty hug. "I thought you would never make it!" Allison smiled at her friend's comment. "You thought."

Mary watched her sister greet both of her friends. She had the strangest feeling...but that could never happen, right? Her mother observed Allison and Harry from a distance.

"Allison," Harry managed to say.

"Harry," Allison replied.

"Um, do you want to come inside?" He rubbed his head.

"Why am I here?" She feigned impatience and then laughed. Harry eased up a bit and glanced at Daisy, who shrugged. He took Allison by the hand, not noticing her wince and mouth "Help me" to Daisy. After greeting his parents, she managed to escape to the balcony (which, surprisingly, was still standing). Looking out into the garden, she managed to make out the figure of a white rabbit in a waistcoat constantly tapping at his pocket-watch. She pinched herself, but it remained. It seemed to fuss at the miniature clock, not noticing Allison at all until she called for it. He immediately started to panic and dashed into a nearby brush. She sighed. She wasn't ever really good with animals, even though she absolutely loved them, especially her cat Dinah. For about an hour or so into the party, Allison was stuck in her own little world, even while she was dancing with Harry. She constantly glanced outside to see if the rabbit had returned, only to see that it hadn't. At the same time, she could almost swear that she saw the butterfly fly past her head a couple of times, almost as it was following her. Finally, she decided to go and inform her mother that she needed to leave, for she was having delusions. Once she turned around, she was surprised to see Harry standing behind her. He smiled a little too brightly, making her certain of what was coming next. "Alice, can come you to the balcony?"

"Uh, sure, " she answered nervously. "I guess."

He grabbed her hand, leading her through the crowd of about 100 or so people. Once they arrived, Allison noticed that they were almost entirely alone. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Alice...I mean, Allison," Harry began. "Listen, I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this. But, ever since I meet you, I think you were one of the most beautiful women I've ever met in my life."

Allison could clearly see where this was heading. "Are you asking me out?" Harry blushed, embarrassed that his plan had been foiled, but stood his ground. "Yes."

The young woman simply stared at him in utter confusion. Even though he was one of her closest friends, that's the only thing she could see him as. A friend. But even as she was about so say that, she could feel eyes boring into the back of her neck, obviously her mother's, sister's and the Ascots'. The situation couldn't get any worse...

_"Alice."_

Allison jerked her head around. Did someone call her? She turned her attention back to Harry.

_"We need for you to come back, Alice."_

Okay, now this was just getting weird. There couldn't be any ghosts in the house, for there were no such things as spirits...she hoped. She heard another voice. _"A-alice, we...we need you back. Back in Underland. Where you belong."_

Where I...belong?

"Alice!" Heather's sharp voice snapped her back into reality. "Are you going to answer his question or not?"

"I-I don't know." Allison immediately started backing up against the railing when the voices started up again.

_"We need you, Alice. Tarrant needs you. We all do..."_

The blue butterfly then landed on her nose and she felt her feet leaving the floor.

That's when she fell.

Allison screamed, feeling herself shoot rapidly towards the ground. Heather, Mary and the Ascots dashed towards the rail, watching as she descended, completely speechless. Then, out of nowhere, a beautiful white mirror appeared below her. She slipped through it effortlessly, the glass rippling like a stream. It then disappeared as quickly as it came.

* * *

**Don't worry! Wonderland will arrive soon! I wanted to include it in this chapters like I did the others, but it got so long I decided to split it up. **


	5. Chapter 4: Retrieving Alice's Allison

"Tarrant?"

Mirana opened the door carefully and was devastated to find him lying on the ground sleeping among the debris, exhausted from a most terrible crying fit. He murmured constantly, a pale blue dress in his hand. She closed the door, deciding that waking him would probably completely disrupt his sanity.

"He hasn't gone that Mad since the Red Queen ordered Witzend to be destroyed," she heard McTwisp whisper.

"And that's why we need her back. Where is Absolem?" Mivana was acting out of character for she had never been this impatient in her life. He bounded down the stairs, her heels clicking after him. Once downstairs, they found the others waiting patiently.

"So, 'ow is 'e?" Mallymkun asked.

"Sound asleep, gladly," Mirana answered, glancing backwards.

"Aye, this is worse than Ah though'," Mally groaned. "Ah know it seems strange for mae to ask o' this, but…why Alice?"

Suprisingly, no one else could answer.

"Well…" Mirana managed to reply. "Probably because…she's Alice. She has that...that…certain…what's the word?"

"Aliceness," mentioned McTwisp. Mirana smiled weakly. "Aliceness is right."

"Shall we wake 'Atter if Absolem arrives?" Mirana only shook her head. "No. Let him be. We don't want him to go Madder than he already is."

"Even though he already is." A familiar large grin floated over the White Queen's head, eventually revealing the grey-blue striped tabby known as Chessur. "Poor Tarrant," he purred. "I think we should check up on him, don't you?"

"This is no time to be sarcastic, Chess," Mirana said, somewhat coldly. "By the way you said that, you seem to already know of the demented state that he's in."

"It is relatively obvious, " said the cat, licking his paws. "But even I never expected that he would last this long before finally snapping."

"But it is Tarrant, " McTwisp mentioned. "He's hard to predict as it is."

"I heard something about our Champion returning," Chessur replied, showing interest.

"We're not sure about that just yet, " Mirana added. "Hopefully Absolem can give us some insight on this."

Soon, two small, round boys charged into the room. The Tweedles then stopped, catching their breath before starting to speak.

"We saw Absolem!" Tweedledee exclaimed.

"Contrariwise, Absolem saw us!" contradicted Tweedledum.

"Could you tell us where he is?" Mirana asked.

The twins then pointed both ways.

* * *

_"It's you!"_

_"No, it isn't, Hatter! McTwisp brough' us the wrong Alice!"_

_"It's the wrong Alice?" Thackery yanked down his ears in confusion._

_"You're absolutely Alice. I'd know you anywhere." He turned towards his friends in excitement. "I'd know him anywhere!"_

_The others laughed at his outrageous statement. Taking her by her tiny hand, he led her back across the table, "Well, as you can see we're still having tea and I was obliged into killing Time for your return." He directed her to a seat piled with books, allowing her to sit down. "You're terribly late, y'know." He waggled a finger at her. "Naughty."_

* * *

"Ah, Absolem." Mirana waved away the smoke that surrounded the blue butterfly. Despite his transformation, he was still the same as ever. "It is true that you have seen Alice?"

Absolem didn't answer immediately, instead meditating on his response. He took in another puff before speaking. "Yes, but..."

"But?" Mirana's voice was filled with worry.

"Rather, this Alice is one of Alice's." The others exchanged glances.

"One of Alice's?" McTwisp asked, confused as the others were.

"One of her own," Absolem said, flapping his wings a few times. "She's not Our Alice. But she is The Alice. The one the Orachulum has shown."

"Wait...where is Our Alice?" Mallymkun wondered.

"Unfortunately, she has passed on," Absolem remarked. "But she was not destined for what it is in store."

"Then how we will know tha' this Alice will help us?" Mallymkun almost exclaimed. "She has no idea what Underland is!"

"That's where you're wrong, " replied the butterfly, flying around her head. "She may not travel to Underland, but she knows it just as well. And now is the time to retrieve her."

* * *

_"Hatter!" She grasped his small face in her hands, returning his eyes to their normal greenish hue._

_"Do you have any idea why a raven is like a writing desk? I'm frightened, Alice. It's terribly crowded. Do you think I've gone mad?"_

_She took her large hand and pressed it against his forehead._

_"I'm afraid so. You've gone positively bonkers." She smiled. "But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."_

_"Hatman, where are my hats? I am not a patient monarch!"_

* * *

Absolem glided up the rabbit hole, certain that Allison had found Alice's diary. After about 15 minutes of traveling, he found himself at the windowsill once more. Allison was conversing with Daisy, completely oblivious that she had left the window slightly ajar. He took the opportunity, flattening his wings as to fit in the small space. Once inside, he flew over to the dresser, the diary in sight. Landing on top of it, he made no movement until she hung up the phone and noticed him sitting there. He then took off, the book flying open. "Don't tell me you want me to read this?" he heard her ask.

He flew past her ear. "Of course, I would you stupid girl."

Surprisingly, she didn't say anything in response just yet. "Well..." He watched as she took the opportunity, landing on her shoulder as she opened the book to the first page.

_Alice has returned._

* * *

__

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

"Let me think about it."

"You know what tomorrow is, don't you?"

"Frabjous Day. How could I forget? I wish I'd wake up.

__

"You still believe this is a dream, don't you?"

"Of course, this all has to come from my own mind."

"Which would mean..that I'm not..real?" His face filled with worry about his existence.

"Afraid so. You're just a figment of my imagination. I would dream up someone who's half mad."

"Yes, but you'd have to be half mad to dream me up." He smiled, only for it to fade as quickly as it came.

"I must be then." She turned her face towards him and smiled. "I'll miss you when I wake up."

* * *

"I never thought I would do this again." McTwisp scrambled up the rabbit hole, making sure not to lose his footing. Once above ground, he was surprised to see that evening had already dawned. Chessur appeared besides him.

"I'll make sure it's ready for her arrival, " he purred.

"Be sure of that," Nivens replied, twitching nervously. He then saw Allison at the balcony. "I believe that's her."

Chessur disappeared and floated back down the hole. McTwisp bounded across the gardens, hoping she wouldn't leave before he arrived. Landing behind a bush, he was relieved to find the young woman staring off into the night. He took a glance at her attire.  
"Absolem was right. The times have changed here."

He crept out slowly and began tapping his pocket-watch. "Hey!" Her voice sounded so much like Alice that he was frightened, dashing into the bushes. Once she left, he peeked out from behind them. "That's her alright."

* * *

_"You could stay."_

_"What an idea. What a mad, crazy, wonderful idea." He smiled at her reply._

Absolem hid among the curtains, passing by Allison's head a few times as a way to attract her. Before he could try one last time, Harry started to escort her out of the room.

_"But I have things I must do, questions I must answer." _

_He watched in sadness as she took the vial and put it to her lips._

"Somehow, this seems vaguely familiar," Absolem said, mostly to himself. He landed on a crevice in the nearby arch that the pair stood in front of.

_She closed it, turning her gaze back to him. "I'll be back before you know it._"

Chessur took his time, finally deciding on a Looking Glass large enough for Allison to fit in. He motioned towards it and Mirana asked the guards for assistance. A knight picked up the mirror and brought into a bedroom, careful not to disturb the Hatter.

_"You won't remember me."_

_"Of course I would! How can I forget?"_

Absolem watched the situation unfold, remembering the proposal that Hamish Ascot had made to Alice Kingsleigh clear as day. Meanwhile in Underland, Mirana, Mallymkun, Chessur, Nivens and Thackery gathered around the mirror. They watched Allison as she spoke to Harry and took the opportunity to distract her, each saying exactly what Absolem instructed them to.

_"Hatter, why is a raven like a writing desk?"_

_"I haven't the slightest idea." Finally accepting the situation at hand, he closed the distance between them, his mouth right by her ear._

Watching Allison back up against the railing, Absolem signaled the others, promptly landing on her nose. Mirana laid the Looking Glass onto the floor as soon as she lost her balance.

_"Fairfarren, Alice."_

Hatter awoke to an enormous clatter in the other room, his dream fading as quickly as it came.

* * *

**Okay, if the words are totally different than in the original scene, correct me. I was really tired and was too lazy to watch the movie or read the script. 10/17/10 EDIT: Redid the balcony scene and corrected a sentence.**


	6. Chapter 5: An Untimely Return

As Allison felt herself slip through the glass, she found herself flying towards a ceiling and braced for impact. Instead of slamming into it like she expected, she rather fell towards the bed and landed on it with a loud thump. Shaken by the impact, she waited a minute before taking in her surroundings. The walls were a pure white, lightly embroidered with a wispy line pattern. There was a large window behind her, hidden behind silver curtains. The floor was also white, the tiles arranged in a beautiful triangular pattern. Once her eyesight completely cleared, she noticed 5 figures closing in on the bed, which eventually revealed themselves to a rabbit, a hare, a white mouse, a floating cat and a young woman (obviously a queen) with white hair, black lips and longing eyes.

"Okay, that's it. I have officially gone crazy." She turned her head towards the ceiling when one of the animals spoke. "Don't you mean Mad, lassie?"

Allison did a double take. The mouse SPOKE! "This has to be a dream. This must be..."

"I think it'll take her some time before she can gain more muchness," the woman said.

Muchness. Where has she heard that word before?

"Alice, are you alright?" the white rabbit asked, seemingly worried about her. Somehow, this rabbit seemed familiar. But her mind was a blank. She remembered nothing since her arrival at the Ascots. "You took quite a fall there."

Allison smiled. _It's definitely a dream. I guess I'll play along with it for a while._ "I guess, I did, didn't I?"

The rabbit beamed. "Does that mean you remember…oh, wait. You're not that Alice. You are the Alice, though."

"The Alice?" Allison was now utterly confused. _Maybe going along with this wasn't such a good idea…_

"Yes, the Alice," said the woman.

"I think you've got it all wrong," Allison corrected, her head a bit clearer. "My name is Allison Kingsley. Alice is just a nickname that my friends use and…how did you know my nickname?"

They all just shrugged. Allison sighed. _This is going to be a lot harder that I thought. When did I ever dream this place up? Even though…I feel a lot better here than I do at home. Weird…_

"By the way, Alice…I mean, Allison," the woman remarked. "Are you hungry? Do you need some nourishment?"

Even though she was exhausted, Allison realized that the one thing she did remember was that she never ate while at the party. She nodded her head in response, not expecting the woman to light up so quickly.

"Alright, then," the woman (or queen, she still wasn't sure) replied. "Thackery."

The brown hare bounded over to the woman's side. Allison seemed taken aback at first, but somehow saw that there was more to the creature than looks would show. She warmed up to it pretty quickly.

"Could you whip up something in the kitchen?" The hare nodded his head livelily. "Aye, Your Majesty! Ah's be going now!"

Allison watched in curiosity as he left the room and then turned her attention back to the others. "Thackery? That's his name?"

"Yes, indeed," the woman replied. "Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I am the White Queen of Underland…"

Allison immediately tumbled off the bed and into an informal curtsey, even though it was hard in her dress. The White Queen just laughed. "Thank you. My name is Mirana. This is Nivens McTwisp, Mallymkun and…"

The cat appeared over Allison's head, nearly frightening her. Mirana sighed. "And Chessur."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alice," Chessur replied. "I didn't mean to frighten you. This is just the way I get around." He appeared and reappeared and the foot of the bed, grooming himself.

"What I would give to be able to do that," Allison whispered a little too loudly.

"What was that?" This cat seemed a little too curious for its own good.

"Just talking to myself," Allison said, somewhat embarrassed. "Oh, by the way, what did you mean by "The Alice?"

"You were supposed to come here as planned, dear," Mirana replied." The Orachulum foretold this day would present itself. Even so…we never expected another Alice other than our own…"

"Your own?" Allison was completely lost.

The queen smiled at her confusion. "I'm still figuring all the facts out myself," admitted Mirana, with a wave of the hand. "So if you're confused about these things, I'll try and clear up as much as I can."

"Y'know, it's weird," Allison started, placing herself back onto the bed again. "But even though I'm pretty darn sure that I've never been here in my life, it seems familiar. It's almost as if I've read it somewhere…"

"Your Majesty." All heads turned to see a servant standing near the doorway. "Thackery has announced that the meal is ready."

"Thank you, Larland," Mirana said. "Tell him we won't be late…" She glanced towards Allison. "…hopefully."

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" Allison asked, somewhat offended.

"No offense, lassie," Mally replied. "But the first Alice 'at came here was always late. It's not a bad 'ing, though."

_Is that what they meant by another Alice? And if it was, who was she?_ She scanned her mind for any memories, but none came.

"Alice, if you don't mind me calling you this," Mirana asked, whirling around towards the door. "Will you be joining us?"

"I don't see a reason not to," Allison said, feeling strangely comfortable around the group. She slid off the bed and followed them downstairs. Once they entered the dining room, all ducked except Allison, who saw and felt a bowl whoosh past her head into the wall. "Does he always do this?" she asked rather loudly, not sure if she should move.

"Don't worry," Mirana assured. "He only does that when you arrive and when you leave."

She motioned for Allison to sit down, the latter acting with caution before finally settling in her seat. In front of them was an elaborate arrangement of oddly colored plates, bowls and silverware all surrounding a plate of rolls, assorted vegetables, brown rice, scones and cake. In the middle of the table was a large teapot and around it, 8 teacups. Allison resisted the notion to grab the food and start eating. She still couldn't understand how he managed to cook the food so quickly, but since she was starting to get used to expecting the unexpected, it didn't exactly strike as a surprise. Once Mirana filled up her plate, the others followed suit.

"I must admit," Mirana said, "I'm pretty sure that you are very grateful to have gotten out of your current situation."

"What situation?" Allison asked, her memory still fuzzy.

"Well, of course," remarked the queen, "didn't that young man ask for your hand in marriage? Or was it for a courtship..."

"I don't think I was being asked to marry anyone..."Allison replied. "But I might have been asked out on a date..or as you said, to court...someone...but I can't remember who asked me. I don't recall anything after I arrived at the party."

Mirana paused before speaking again. "Well, you did fall through a Looking Glass..."

"A Looking Glass? I thought it was a mirror," Allison interrupted.

"That's what it looks like from the Aboveland," Mirana corrected. "But all mirrors from your world are Looking Glasses in ours. It allows us to observe your world and create temporary portals between Underland and Aboveland. That's how we were able to find you and bring you here. Sometimes when you pass through it you lose your most recent memories for a short while."

Allison chuckled. "If only we had that..." She imagined herself passing through a mirror into another land whenever she wanted to escape from her mother. Containing her laughter, she grabbed a roll and proceed to stuff it in her mouth. "Mum would absolutely flip if she found out I was here," she managed to get out between bites.

"The restrictin' type?" asked Mallymkun, sliding her scone in half with a tiny sword.

"You don't want to know," Allison replied. She received looks saying "We do want to know" from all of them. "If you insist," she sighed.

* * *

All the while, Tarrant wasn't sure whether he was hearing things or it was a real voice. He could swear he heard Alice's voice through the wall, talking to the others. Pressing his ear to the wall, he heard the young woman speak as she voiced what seemed like Disbelief and Belief in Underland. His eyes turned into a light blue as he realized the state he was in.

"What will she think if she sees me like this?"

_Wha' she? Alice can't be back._

"Why do you keep saying this? I heard her..."

_I'm pretty sure that's your head messing with you again. It's been 5 years._

"I understand that!" He cringed, hoping that they didn't hear. The ongoing conversation revealed that they hadn't.

_See? If 'at was 'er, she woud o' recognized yer voice._

"I didn't want her to hear me."

_Get it through yer slurvish skull! She's NEVER coming back-!_

The Hatter tuned out his thoughts of Doubt until he couldn't recognize the words. He heard Larland announce that the meal was ready, which was soon followed by fading footsteps as the group departed for the dining room.

* * *

"So your father..." Mirana asked curiously.

"He was killed when I was 7," answered Allison with remorse.

"I'm sorry," the queen said, regretting that she mentioned it. Allison only shook her head. "It's alright. I miss him sometimes, but I've gotten over it."

In reality, she hadn't.

In an attempt to change the subject, Allison decided to ask about the first Alice that came here. "So, your Alice," she said. "What was she like?"

Mirana rose from her chair and walked over to an outfit that seemed to look like silver body armor. Her hands grazed the sword that laid in the open gloves. "Alice. She was a brave young woman, about 19 or so, who was full of muchness. She belonged in Underland even though she was from the Aboveland. Somehow, she felt that she was at home here. She had accidentally came upon Underland once before when she was much younger. We all loved her dearly and deeply cared for her well being, especially..."

The White Queen turned her head to the sound of approaching footsteps. A bishop and rook opened the double doors to reveal an unexpected guest.

Mirana drew out the name. "...Tarrant."

Allison's eyes fell upon a brown suit, filled with sewed-in patches. The sleeves and pants legs were lined with lace on the ends, and the back pockets of the suit jacket with filled colorful fabrics of different lengths. Brown shoes and colorful socks adorned the feet of the approaching figure. Under the jacket was a black vest with bright dots of color, which also matched the large bow tie. The whole outfit was worn by a man with pale skin, bandages on his fingers and gray patches surrounding his eyes. Vibrant red hair stuck out from under the large top hat that was the color of the suit, sewing pins and a paper reading 10/6 sticking out the top of it. The most defining feature of all was his bright green eyes, which seemed to be flickering.

_A hatter with the most outrageous red hair and brightest green eyes you've ever seen..._

He matched the description perfectly.


	7. Chapter 6: Tarrant Hightopp

**Sorry for the delay. My USB decided to hide itself in my house and well, yeah, you know the drill. Had to rewrite this chapter. And thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

Alice didn't know where the last statement had came from or where she had heard or read it before. All she knew was this "Tarrant" matched the description exactly, even though she didn't expect it to be so obvious. The Hatter (at least she hopes he is) stopped about 10 feet away from her, seemingly taking in her features with utmost astonishment.

"...Alice?" That sounded more like a shocked statement than an innocent question.

Allison straightened up and looked him in the eye. Surely, he had expected the original Alice to be here. Strangely, she felt sorry for him, for she knew that she wasn't The Alice that he was expecting.

"Is that...really...?" He stopped midsentence, trailing off.

"Alice." Allison Kingsley racked her mind for the right words. "As much as I hate to say this, that was a nickname given to me by my friends and family."

She watched as her face dropped. "Nickname?" The words slowly rolled off his tongue as he began to take it in. She nodded and watched as his eyes turned to a light blue hue. "Then..that..."

Mirana and the others simply said nothing as he glared at them, obviously demanding an explanation. Then, turning his attention back to Allison, he said, "May I inquire you of something?"

"Sure," Allison replied.

"Do you remember falling down a rabbit hole?"

Mirana attempted to intervene, obviously for Allison's own good. "Now, Hatter..."

"I'd rather hear this for myself," Hatter replied rather coldly.

_I'm falling down. Down a dark hole..._

Where did those words come from? "Actually, no," answered a confused Allison. "But I do faintly remember falling before I arrived here..."

She watched as his demeanor suddenly brightened. "Do you remember pishsalver?"

_A potion that makes you shrink... _"I don't think I ever drank it," Allison remarked, "but I guess it makes you shrink."

"Upelkuchin?"

_A cake that makes you grow..._ "It's probably best not be in a small room when you eat that," she said.

"What about the tea party?" Hatter continued.

_I remember coming across a long table filled with tea cups, a lone tea pot, scones, utensils, biscuits...probably everything you would find at a tea party... _"I've never been to one," Allison recalled, "but I'd love to attend one if you held it." Somehow, those words didn't sound strange coming from her own mouth.

"What about the Red Queen?"

_A short, obnoxious woman with red hair atop her enormous head. I believe she was a queen..._

"Never met her in my life," admitted Allison. "But she's sounds terrible."

The Hatter continued the questioning, obviously happy that Allison seemed to remember faint details about Underland, even if she didn't seem to remember any exact details. The others seemed to ease up a bit, but were expecting the unexpected, which was always expected anyway.

"And the Futterwacken?"

_An elaborate dance that could only be performed in your happiest of moments..._

"It sounds like a really weird dance..."Allison said, "that most wouldn't be able to perform."

Tarrant (at least she hoped that was his name) moved closer, stopping only a feet away from her position. "Now..." he almost whispered, struggling to keep his composure. "Do you remember me?"

Allison remained silent.

Automatically, the tension increased in the room. The Hatter seemed frozen, waiting patiently for her answer.

She wanted to say something, but couldn't. The words that had peered into her mind when she first saw him had disappeared as quickly as they came.

The others stood on edge, unsure of what move to make.

After an eerie silence, the Hatter spoke again, this time rephrasing the question.

"Do you remember my name at least?"

_If I remember correctly, his name was T-_

All thoughts stopped. Allison racked her brain for answers, but none came. It was almost as if she had forgotten the most important part. And why it was so important to her, she didn't know. She said the only thing she could think of.

"I'm sorry."

She then watched as his face dropped. "You don't remember me..." he said, his eyes turning blue.

"I"m sorry," Allison repeated, "but even if I tried, I couldn't. I'm not your Alice..."

"...Not our Alice." The Hatter seemed to drone out the words to emphasize his despair. "Not my Alice."

"Afraid so," whispered Allison, fiddling with her dress, still wondering why she felt sorry for a man she had just met.

Tarrant just stood there, his lips pressed into a firm line. "So...you don't remember me. You've lost your muchness."

Allison's headed popped up. Didn't he hear a word she had said? She watched as he began to pace back and forth across the room, muttering to himself. She caught words such as "Why?", "Raven", "writing desk", and "mad." When he stopped and turned his gaze towards her, a harsh edge could be heard in his voice. "You've forgotten Underland."

Allison rose slowly, unsure of the atmosphere. "I'm sure I've never remembered."

"Ye promised mae, lass," Tarrant growled, his Scottish brogue slowly taking over.

"Tarrant!" Mirana called, trying to bring him back to his senses.

"Ye said tha' ye wouldn' forgit, " he continued, unnerved by her warning. "But ye did. Ye forgot, Alice."

"I told you that was a nickname!" Allison screamed, quickly regretting it as she backed away slowly.

"Hatter!" Mallymkun yelled, jumping on the table, not expecting to narrowly miss Tarrant's swinging at her.

The others immediately rose to try and reach him, but it was no use. He began his rampage by yanking the tablecloth off the table, flinging the kitchen ware across the room. He then started to kick and shout, destroying nearby chairs and sending everyone scattering across the room. Allison hid herself in a nearby corner, cursing under the breath, blaming herself for his sudden..."tantrum." At least that's what she thought it was. As she watched him destroy the room out of madness, the craziest idea came into her mind. Dodging flying objects and weaving through the others, she managed to cup his face in her hands and turn him towards her. "TARRANT HIGHTOPP!"

* * *

"I feel terrible." Allison held her head in her hands. " I might have caused him to recede into his 'madness' even more..."

"I'm pretty sure that knocked him into his senses," Mirana assured. "You sounded pretty convincing when you called his name like that."

"What I don't understand is how I knew his name, " said Allison, still confused about the present subject.

"Well," Mirana replied, trying to cheer her up," you may not remember now, but your Mind may catch up later."

"Catch up, Your Majesty?" Mirana nearly laughed at the confusion on the young woman's face.

"Yes, catch up," repeated Mirana, "and please, in private call me Mirana. Anyway, your Mind is slowly catching up with your Memories. Once it does, you'll understand everything."

Allison simply stared at Mirana in utmost curiosity. How could her mind catch up with her memories? She wanted to ask that question, but she then realized it was best to leave it at that. Everything that was happening was already strange anyway, so trying to find an explanation for it was impossible. "So, Mirana," Allison finally asked, "what would you call..."

"My home?" Mirana answered. "Mamoreal."

"Mamoreal," Allison repeated, seemingly tasting the name on her tongue. "Too bad we don't have a place like that up Above."

"How dull and dreadful that land seems to be, " The White Queen remarked. "Lacking of color and imagination. It's almost as if..."

"Everyone's the same up there?" finished Allison. "That's pretty much how it is. People see it better to fit in than to stand out and be 's the norm."

"That sounds like a terrible norm," Mirana said.

"It is," Allison replied. "While I was up there, I sometimes wished I could just fall down a hole and escape whenever I wanted to..."

"Just like Alice," whispered Mirana, knowing Allison wouldn't catch on immediately.

"How long has Tarrant been like this?" Allison asked.

"Oh, for some time," Mirana answered. "Now, please. It's best that you get some rest. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine."

Allison smiled, somehow assured that the man she had just met will become his normal self, whatever his normal self was. She left, feeling somewhat satisfied. Mirana, however, stayed behind. She headed towards the balcony and held out her hand, where, almost immediately, a blue butterfly landed.

"Absolem," she said softly, careful not to attract unwanted attention. "I seek your advice. Are you sure this is the right Alice?"

"The Orachulum doesn't lie, " he replied.

"But she doesn't have nearly as much muchness as our Alice," retorted Mirana.

"It's too soon to tell," the blue butterfly said, chuckling. He flew over to the railing and rested on it, his radiant wings flapping endlessly. "And you are telling too soon. She's never been to Underland. But she knows."

"But how does she know of a land she's never been to?" Mirana demanded.

Abosolem simply sat there in silence. After about a minute, he spoke. "You'll know. She'll tell you."

"I don't understand," Mirana admitted.

"Of course you don't," Absolem said. "Underlandians will never understand all the ways of Underland. It's the same in the Abovelands."

Mirana remained silent, unsure of what of to say.

"Don't worry," assured Absolem, turning away from her. "She's the right Alice. But I fear for Tarrant."

"How is that?" asked the White Queen, worriedly.

"He may or may not accept her," Absolem replied. "And once he learns that the first Alice has passed, he may lose himself to Madness completely. Hopefully, she's able to help him wake up from his present state soon." And with those words, he took off, leaving Mirana in a state of Confusion, Sadness and Impatience. Not the three feelings she really needed at the moment.

* * *

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

The dodo bird continued to ramble infinitely, not stopping for anything as he repeated the same undecipherable phrase over and over again. She sighed and looked at the doors that surrounded her. Even though she was safe from the howling winds, ending up at the same spot she had came from wasn't as exciting either. She looked at her wrist, tied up with a bandage. If only he hadn't tried to escape, but somehow he did. In an attempt to free himself, he found a discarded knife and swung at her arm. Instead, he ended up hitting the chains and they broke completely. He ran off, laughing in his supposed 'victory' and abandoning her just the same. Sadly, it tore through some skin once he had attempted it, leaving her bleeding and without ailment. As a last resort, she tore some fabric off of her dress (her loveliest one at that) and secured it around her hand as a tourniquet. It helped, but eventually, she would have to rip off another piece. _Oh, they would pay dearly for this..._

She knelled down and decided to try again, carefully trying to listen to the dodo that was stuck in a permanent time loop. Obviously, Time had such as a disagreement with this fellow that he put him in a warp that repeated itself over and over again as punishment. Not that she felt sorry for him, though. She was more concerned about herself. Finally, she heard what she thought was a sentence jumbled together...

_Thisisutterlyincomprehensible...Queastnowheresnudsnud...Whatsthatsupposedtomean...itsanonsenseitellyou...aninsufferablenonsense..._

The only word that she could comprehend was nonsense. And that's what it sounded. Begrudgingly she listened again. Once she had enough, she began to try her best to separate it, first coming up with this...

_Thisi sutterlyin comprehen siblequeast. Nowheresnudsn udwhatsthatsupp. Osedtomeanitsan. Onsenseitellyouan. Insufferable Nonsense..._

That doesn't make any sense except for the last one. Of course, that's just what it is to me, now. She continued.

_This is utterly incomp rehensib. lequeastnowhere. Snud snud. Whatsth. Atsupposedtome. Anitsanonsenseitell. You an insufferable Nonsense... _Snud. That helped, but she didn't want take any chances, considering that the first time she went through she had to start over.

_This is utterly incomprehensible. Queastnowhere. Snud snud. What. Sthtsupposedto. meanits a nonsense. I tell you. An insufferable Nonsense... _That's not it, either. But somehow...

_This is utterly incomprehensible. Queast. Nowhere. Snud. Snud. What's that supposed to mean? It's a nonsense, I tell you. An insufferable nonsense.._

Quest. Nowhere. Snud. Snud. Were those directions? How it knew she didn't care and didn't want to know, but if it worked she might find her way back. Looking at the signs, she took a chance, successfully arriving in alternate version of the area until she finally arrived in Tugley Wood. It appeared empty, which was perfect for her plan to put in motion. Hopefully, she still had a few loyal subjects that she could get her hands on and convince them to join her. It shouldn't be that hard. If everything goes like its supposed to, the throne will be hers again and those her stood her way will be beheaded the same day as her victory...

* * *

"How's the 'ead?"

Allison stared at the ceiling before answering the young dormouse.

"I think my Memory's gaining on my Mind," Allison replied. "Hopefully, I understand something about this place soon..."

Mallymkun climbed the bed sheet and walked over to sit by the young woman's shoulder. She shared a striking resemblance to Alice unfortunately, or at least that's Mallymkun believed. _Why didn't she come back? Did Time purposely make it so we wouldn't see her again? Why would she die before she fulfilled her promise?_

"Mallymkun." She immediately snapped back into reality. "You seem lost in thought. Something wrong?"

The dormouse turned towards Allison, her expression softening at the woman's concern. "Nothin'. Ye look so much like 'er and you're just as dimwitted as she was. Not that it's a bad thing, thoug'. Jus' need some more muchness."

"You know, I had a great-grandmother named Alice," said Allison. "Most of my family said that I took after her..."

"Great...grandmother?" Mallymkun was at a lost for words. Had that much time actually passed since Alice had left with her Promise to return? It didn't seem all that possible. "Time. What...why.."

"Mally?" Allison sat up and stared at the dormouse.

"If Alice was your great-grandmother..."Mallymkun said. "Then 'ow is it tha' only five years 'ave passed in Underland since her departure?"

"Five years?" Allison asked.

"Time behaves differently 'ere than in the Abovelands," Mallymkun finally remarked after a long silence. "Once, he 'ad placed 'atter, Thackery and I in a temporary time loop, leavin' us stuck at 6:00 PM every day, simply because 'atter wanted to kill Time to make it go faster. Once Alice returned, Time returned to his old self. But he and the 'atter had another argument before you arrived. That may be the reason why he acted so coldly. And if he finds out that his Alice is no more..."

"Do you think I can talk to him now?" The dormouse turned her gaze back to Allison. "I'm not sure if he'll let you. You should've seen his face when you called his name. He may not be in the mood, since he can get so temperamental sometimes..."

"Can I least try?" Allison pleaded.

Mallymkun sighed. "I guess. But you may only get one shot at this..."


	8. Chapter 7: A Failed Plan?

**I've been having writer's block, lately, but I think I finally found a way to finish this chapter (along with the rest of the fanfic), hence the long delay. Thanks for all the lovely reviews! (madhattress1314: When it comes to the hair, I tend to call it red whether its red or orange. But I guess I can make an exception to this one! Thanks for mentioning it!)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Alice in Wonderland, there would be no need to write this.  
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* * *

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Allison sighed and looked ahead of her to the whirling glass stairs that led to her destination. "Are you sure about this, Mirana?"she asked, still a bit unsure about calling the queen by her first name. The White Queen only nodded in response. "Even when he's on the verge of losing himself to Madness, he likes to relax by taking a walk through the gardens. This should give you enough time to go in without him noticing if you do it right."

"Took you long enough, love." Chessur appeared on Allison's head, purring quietly.

"I never knew that he locked his workshop," Allison explained, quite irritated by his presence already.

"Temper, temper," he purred, floating between them. "You really are an Alice. You have her fierceness as well as her looks."

"I'm not sure if I can take that as a compliment or not." She put her hands on her hips, swaying from side to side. Chessur allowed both of them to proceed to their destination, finally arriving at Tarrant's quarters. The door was slightly ajar, beckoning for someone to come in. Mirana took this as a chance to give a final nudge to Alice, assuring her that everything should go well. Allison nodded and went inside, not expecting to hear the door close behind her and loud click to follow.

* * *

"You didn't have to do that to the poor girl," Chessur purred once downstairs.

"I did," remarked the White Queen, a little impatient. "She might have given up and left before he came...or just as he came. Believe me, it's better this way."

"For her or Tarrant?" He finally relaxed on a coffee (or tea) table nearby.

Mirana huffed, "Both. Now, we wait."

Meanwhile, Allison found herself in a panic. After banging on the door multiple times, she started to ravage the room, searching for an exit, not sure why or how she had locked herself in (unless it had something to do with Chessur). Gladly, she wasn't claustrophobic or she would have been screaming like hell. Eventually, she gave up and sat by the door, contemplating on whether everything she had just went through was a set up, whether she was about to be killed, whether this was...

_I never knew how beautiful those hats looked before..._

She shook her head furiously.

_Stop it, Allison. You've got to find a way to get out of here!_

She was again distracted by the wave of colors that offset the room, letting her eyes wander as she gazed upon yellows, reds, blues and all other colors as they seemed to melt into each other. Finally, she resorted to looking around the room in awe since it was the only thing she could do. Noticing a small rack of finished hats, Allison decided to try them on out of boredom. The first one she tried on was a lovely silver that had blue lace sticking out of the dark blue trimming that it was held by_. __I could have worn this to the party. Maybe I would've turned more heads than just...Harry's..._ The next one she tried was actually too large despite its beauty. It was a crimson red with a large flower on the front, just above the huge brim. It seemed to nearly envelop her whole face. "Someone has to have really large head to fit this thing," Allison mumbled, placing it back. A small light blue top hat caught her attention. "It doesn't look like he finished this one, " she said, reaching for it. "It's still pretty, none-."

_CRREAKK._

She jumped back_. _"What the-?"The hat she had just pulled seemed more like a lever, as it revealed what looked like a sliding door. Glancing around, Allison carefully began to open it.

_

* * *

_"What is the Hatter with me?"

Tarrant sat atop one of the white stone walls surrounding Mamoreal, balancing his elbows atop his hat as his head laid in his hands. His occasional walk-around-the-gardens had became more of a sit-down-on-the-wall-and-Think. His Mind was in a complete frenzy, for he couldn't quite grasp how she was not Thee Alice, but an Alice. He murmured to himself constantly, slipping in and out of Madness as he went.

"How is it that she knew my name? But she claimed that she didn't! Then that means she didn't know my name after all! But she might have remembered. But she's never been to Underland. And if she's never been, how does she know? She's not The Alice. But she's an Alice. Maybe there's more than just one. But how can there be more than just one? I know of only one Alice! I knew it was her when she returned!"

Burying his face in his gloves, he sighed.

"Considering your plight, the question you asked earlier is hardly accurate...or maybe almost accurate."

"Absolem," Tarrant mumbled, "you should know."

"I should and I do," the blue butterfly replied, landing to rest on the stone wall. "But the question is, do you?"

The Hatter paused before answering. "I used to."

"In order to find what you used to know," remarked Absolem, "you first must find what you don't."

"That's easy for you to say." He slid off the wall and started on his trek towards the castle, Absolem close behind. "You were the first one to see Alice-At-Last the last time she was here. But this Alice...she doesn't seem to remember anything."

"But she remembers almost everything."

Tarrant opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. He sighed again, but then noticed a solitary silhouette showing through the curtains of his workshop. Absolem landed on his shoulder and after a lengthy silence between the two, finally said, "Whether she is The Alice, an Alice or not even an Alice at all, the only way to know is to help her remember what she has never remembered." With that, he flew off, leaving Tarrant in a daze.

_Remember what she has never remembered. Even I don't understand what is to be understood. How can An Alice remember being The Alice?_

He glanced at the window again, watching the figure as it passed by it several times. After a few minutes, The Hatter suddenly realized that his workshop had been infiltrated (More than likely, it was probably the White Queen...or at least that's what he thought.) and took off towards the castle entrance. When he finally arrived at the door of his workshop, he unlocked it, swung it open and was met with the sight of Allison, who was twirling around...in a light blue dress. In fact, her entire outfit was that of a sparkling blue. Tarrant just stared with his mouth wide open, completely entranced by the sight. Finally, she stopped upon seeing him, wringing her hands nervously.

"Oh."

* * *

She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Allison, upon opening the door earlier, had been met by the sight of a dazzling array of outfits, all in endorsed in different shades of blue. In her excitement, she took the liberty of seeing of if she could fit each one, taking special care to place them right where she found them. She must have gotten too excited, for when she laid eyes on a certain blue dress...well, that was pretty explanatory. What wasn't was the fact that the Hatter might have been standing there the entire time she pranced around like a little girl. Upon seeing him, the only thing she could say was:

"Oh."

It seemed more like a statement than an exclamation.

Tarrant's mouth finally closed and he cleared his throat, which confused her only more. After what seemed to be an hour of silence (even though it had only been about a minute), he finally spoke. "That dress you're wearing."

"What about it?" asked Allison, ashamed.

"I..I made it for her," he mumbled.

"Her?"

"The Alice," he said with a harshness that made her wince. He then turned away, almost as if he was ignoring her. Unsure of a way to break the uneasy silence, a question arose in Allison's mind. "What was she like?"

"What?" Tarrant nearly choked.

"The Alice," Allison remarked, smiling a bit to try and ease the situation. "What was she like? To you, that is."

His face suddenly went blank and he started pacing across the room, muttering to himself. Allison waited patiently for his answer._ I guess it's been so long since he's last seen The Alice, he might have to remember her personality and such..._

"She had muchness," Tarrant nearly blurted, scaring her back into reality. "Plenty of it. I mean, when she first came here, of course, she had muchness, but then when she came the second time, she seemed to have lost her muchness. No, I'm not one to get into anyone's business, but at the time, it seemed she had forgotten. But at the same time, she didn't forget..."

_He sometimes rambled endlessly, forcing others around him to call him in order to get his attention back on the matter at hand..._

Allison shook her head._ Where'd that come from?_ She then realized that the Hatter was still talking, but a smile had begun to form on his face. A sudden idea popped into her head.

"...and I'm not one to know how she had gained her muchness back. Anyway..."

"Hatter."

"...Fez. Thank you," he replied, almost immediately.

Silence filled the room once more. Realizing that she still had on the dress, Allison started to fidget, unsure of whether she was intruding by wearing the creation that he made for someone else.

"I don't understand," muttered Tarrant.

"Understand," Allison repeated. "Understand what?"

"The Alice." He shifted his position so he could face her. "She would've remembered. She made a Promise that...she would never forget. But...instead, you. An Alice. You're not her and somehow you know of Underland. You know of the Looking Glass. You know of the White Queen. The Red Queen. But you never arrived before then to..to know of this. Us. But you remembered, even though you never remembered."

"Remember what I never remembered?" Allison was completely lost.

"You're not the REAL ALICE!" Tarrant screamed, the brim of his eyes tinted with yellow. "You've never been to Underland! And yet, being an Alice ye kept 'er promise! Ye managed te remember mae withou' even knowin' mae! Wha' am Aye supposed to make out of tha'?"

"Now, hold on!" retorted Allison, caught off guard by his outburst. "I don't even know of anything myself. How the heck am I supposed to know what it means for your Mind to catch with your Memory? What is an Alice, anyway? I don't know how I remember your name! I just came to me! As if I had already knew! With almost every new situation, these 'Thoughts' pop into my head out of nowhere and I don't know what to make of them! This world is confusing enough! But being a mad man, you're making it even worse! What's wrong with you? What did I do to you to deserve this?"

Tarrant shrank back, the color of his eyes becoming a light blue. "Nothing."

"That's what I thought," Allison replied, crossing her arms.

"I don't even know what to think anymore," he said, turning away from her. "Alice would've never done this to me. And here you are, an Alice and you're completely different than what you're supposed to be." The Hatter headed towards the door and stopped at the doorway. "I'm sorry for being so mad. I...just can't help myself sometimes."

Realizing what she had done, Allison's expression softened. " Wait. I didn't mean to..."

"I'm sorry," he interrupted and with that, he left. Allison let out a loud sigh. _Great._

"Whether you're The Alice or An Alice, you still dimwitted, stupid girl."

"What?" Allison whirled, only to notice Absolem sitting atop of a shelf. "It's...it's you."

* * *

**This one took a while. I'm not too good at thinking up long conversations. I'll try and update a lot sooner.**


	9. Chapter 8: Helping Her to Remember

**Yes, Absolem is awesome, isn't he? I was so happy to complete this chapter. Hopefully I can update with another one soon. Thanks for all the reviews! They keep me going.**

**Disclaimer: My last name isn't Burton, isn't it?  
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* * *

"Of course, it's me, " Absolem huffed, flying over to her shoulder.

Allison immediately pinched herself, but the butterfly remained. "So I guess the day I heard you speak..."

"What?" he asked. "You thought you were hallucinating? Dreaming, perhaps?"

Allison remained speechless for about a minute. "So...you know about my problems?"

"You are the one who told them to me," he replied nonchalantly.

"Never expected you to understand them, though," she said, biting her lip. Absolem flew down to her shoulder. "Like you would never expect to understand him."

"Wha?"

"Tarrant," corrected he.

"I know that," Allison sighed, somewhat irritated at why he suddenly intruded on her concerns for a man she had just met. "But he's too hard to figure out."

"From the outside, yes," he remarked. "From the inside all depends on if you are able to 'figure him out'...or not."

"What do you mean?" Allison asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Remember what you've never remembered."

"That's...no, it's not impossible, considering how weird this place is already," she replied. "But how can I do that?"

"There ye are, lassie."

Allison whipped around, only to see Mallymkun and Chessur standing in the doorway. The dormouse folded her arms almost in disgust at Allison's attire. "No wonder tha 'atter's so upset. Look a' ye!"

Allison sighed and turned back to Absolem, only to notice he had already flown out the room, signified by the dissipating trail of smoke he left behind him. _Remember what I never remembered?_

"Hey!" the dormouse snapped, calling the girl's attention back to her. "I was talkin' tae ye!"

"Now, now." Chessur purred." Isn't a little unwise to treat her like that especially with what she's been through?" He smiled, making Allison feel a bit uneasy.

"More like wha' she put 'im through," the dormouse retaliated.

"It's not like I don't know!" Allison yelled. She dashed through the door, stepping right over Mallymkun and Chessur. There was a lengthy silence before either of them spoke. "You know, you shouldn't be too hard on the poor girl," Chessur said.

"Wha' does i' matta'?" Mallymkun sighed.

"We may have to help her, you know," he remarked, slowly disappearing. "Absolem said something about remembering what she's never remembered."

"...What?"

* * *

"Your Majesty!" Allison opened the doors leading to the throne room, only to notice that the White Queen was nowhere to be found. One of the guards then remarked that she was probably strolling around the castle, which really didn't help, but she thanked him anyway. Since the Hatter was more than likely in the gardens (and more than likely she wanted to avoid him for right now), she decided to make her ways towards the kitchen. When she opened the door, she instinctively ducked under the flying tea cup that flew over her head. Thackery returned to his cooking without a care in the world, preparing the next meal. If only she could find out what it was, but finding the White Queen was the primary matter at hand at the moment. She greeted Thackery and turned to leave.

"If ye's be seekin' Tha White Queen, ye won't find haer here."

Allison slowly turned back to the hare, who chopped up a bunch of unknown fruits into a bowl and ran over to check the stove as if nothing had happened.

"Excuse me?"

"Tha White Queen," he remarked, nonchalantly, not turning to face her. "Ye's be seekin' haer?"

"Yeah," Allison answered, completely dumbfounded. "How did you know?"

Thackery stopped and looked at her. "I dinnae. I's only guessed, lass."

The young woman just stood there speechless. After about a minute, he returned to his duties. "She's be in tha gardens. Wit' tha hatter."

"Oh..." Allison gulped. "Never mind, then. I'll just wait here."

She smiled and sat down on a nearby stool. Looking outside, she noticed the strange beauty of the gardens below, which were filled with tall flowers that loomed over guards walking nearby. She nearly confused them with the statues, which resembled pieces on a chessboard. On them, colorful vines intertwined themselves with each other and any crack and crevice it seemed that they could find. All were situated on with seemed to be to be very large concrete crosswalk and near the front of it was a large statue. It was of a woman, or it seemed. She was holding a long sword in front of her, looking at it with a fierce determination. Her right front was propped up on what seemed to be a dragon's head. She held a shield in her left hand and strangely resembled Allison herself. Besides the crowd that gathered around it, she could spot what appeared to be a large animal kneeling beside them. The only problem was it's back was turned to her, so she had no idea of what to make of it. Finally bored, she turned around only to see Thackery standing besides her. "Ye's admirin' tha statue of ou' Champion?"

"If that's what it is," Allison replied.

"Tha' Alice!" exclaimed Thackery, pointing towards the structure. "She was haer, ya know."

"You mean your Alice," Allison mumbled, still uninterested.

"The hatter seemed to like her," he said, staring at the utensil in his hand. "Spoon..."

"Ye mean 'e did, tha bloody girl," a tiny voice replied. Allison watched as Mallymkun scrambled down the window pane and stopped on the sill, turning towards her. "This lass will neva understand wha' it is she neva remembered unle' we tell 'er!"

"What I don't understand is how I can understand what it is I could never remember in the first place," sighed Allison, putting her head in her hands.

"I think your Mind be's catchin' up now, 'specially wit' tha way ye said tha'!" Thackery said, only to hear her sigh again.

"She's comin' along faster than I though' she wou'." Mallymkun nodded in response.

"Okay, then," Allison hissed, impatient. "What is it that you're here for? I thought you were mad at me earlier!"

"I was," Mallykun answered. "But, a certain felin' wen' an' straightened mae up, unfortunately. Seems tae mae we needs tae tell ye of wha' 'appened 'ere." She plopped down.

"Oh?" Allison crossed her arms. "Of what?"

Mallymkun sighed, her expression changing to that of remorse. "Everything."

* * *

_"Oh. Oh. What do we have here?"_

_The young girl, dirtied up from tripping over herself, looked up from crying, only to see a young man with strangest colored hair she had ever seen. He knelled down to her level."So, what is it that you call yourself?"_

_"It's thee Alice," a purple-striped cat replied, flying over to the young girl. His companion smiled in response. "So that's what an Alice looks like! Come along! Come along! It's time our un-birthdays are celebrated!"_

_"What's an un-birthday?" the little blonde asked as she was dragged along by her new friend_

"She came by accident," Mallmykun started. "Poor girl. She saw McTwisp complainin' abou' 'ow late 'e was for 'is appointment wit' tha Red Queen and White Queen an' took of' after 'im, fallin' down tha' rabbit 'ole tha' led 'er 'ere..."

_"What do you mean she was here?"_

_"Poor Alice," Chessur purred. "The young lass kept complaining about how she was to get home. I guess she finally took off."_

_"Did ye know wher' she headed of'?" Mallmykun asked, eager to find her new friend._

_"Not really, but judging by those tiny footprints...my guess is that she is headed to Mamoreal."_

"Alice ran off, probably because we wer' takin' too long. She kept complain' abou' 'ow she was tae get 'ome despite tha fact tha' she enjoyed it there. The Whi' Queen informed mae of 'er first arrival a' Mamoreal. Sadly, she ran intae Ilosovic Stayne, tha Knave of 'earts. But befor' tha', 'e was a personal bodyguar' tae tha sisters an' tha Red King."

_"Stop right there!"_

_"Please don't hurt me!" The young girl tripped over her own two feet and cowered under the sword that was being held above her. "I just need to get home!"_

_The Knave slowly pulled away his sword and slid it back into its sheath. "Are you a dwarf?"_

_"No, I'm just a child."_

_"A dwarf nonetheless," he said, not noticing her confusion. "Wait here."_

_"Wait!"_

"Tha' girl couldn' stay put if she wanted tae. She eventually ran of' an' encountered some o' the Red Queen's soldiers paintin' all tha whi' roses in 'er garden red, all in fea' tha' their heads wou' be cut o' because o' their mistake. *sigh* She got ahea' o' 'erself an' started helpin' 'em, some'ow got roped into a game o' croque', beat tha Red Queen an' was chased out o' Mamoreal. She found 'er way 'ome by wishing she was there, just befor' she was killed. An' neva' came back 'til..."

_"It's you!"_

_"No, it's not, 'atter! McTwisp brought us the wrong Alice!"_

_"You're absolutely Alice. I'd know you anywhere. I'd know him anywhere!"_

"The lass returned when she was almos' a woman. She was 19, I believe, an' as stubborn as eva'. A' tha' time, tha Red Queen 'ad taken over Underland an' established 'er own castle in Salazen Grum, some ways from 'ere. Tha Whi' Queen fled back tae Mamoreal. Tha Orachulum, which I will explain tae you later, predicted tha' Alice wou' return an' slay the Jabberwock dragon, tha Red Queen's personal pet. Of course, some'ow she didn' remember anything when she arrived 'ere. No one, even mae, believed tha' she was 'The Alice' a' first. All except for Tarrant. Some'ow, he saw tha' she was Our Alice, tha little girl tha' arrived some time earlier, tryin' tae get back home. She was tha closest to 'im, for they understood each other best. Eventually, we all realized tha' she was tha one predicted tae slay tha Jabberwocky an' free tha land o' tha Red Queen's control an' she did. But, she 'ad to leave us. An' tha's when tha 'atter became 'eartbroken. 'e keep 'is 'opes up for five years, waitin' for 'er return, 'til tha day 'e got intae an arguement wit' Time, who behaves differently in your world than 'e does in ours. 'e placed a Doubt in Tarrant's 'ead, tha' she wou' neva' return. An'right now, well, I don' know whether you being 'ere means tha' tha's true or not."

"No wonder he acted like that," Allison said, suddenly understanding the Hatter's predicament and regretting her earlier response even more. "And that statue. Is that of her?"

"Yes," the dormouse remarked, glancing at Thackery, who was in tears over the story and blowing his nose. "It was 'is idea."

Allison remained silent. Then a smile spread across her face. "Mallymkun. I know you may not like this, but could you tell me more about the Red Queen and White Queen. Tarrant, as well. Anything you could think of. Please?"

The dormouse was surprised. Then she chuckled and smiled. "Ye really are 'The Alice'. Even if ye not Ours."

* * *

He ran.

He couldn't believe it.

He was free.

Finally free.

Free of the wretched chains that bounded him to that witch.

Free of the decree that bounded him to those barren lands.

Free to finally do what he wanted. No, what he NEEDED to do.

There was only one problem.

What was it that he needed to do?

He stopped to rest against a boulder, only to be dismayed as it huffed and rolled away. Those five years in the Outlands. What have they done to him? He had nearly lost all of his memory. He only remembered his name, the Red Queen, this mad milliner that he couldn't remember the name of and his attraction to a young woman with golden locks. He knew he hated them all. For what reason? If only the Red Queen hadn't bashed his head some months ago...What?

He came upon the ruins of Salazen Grum, the Red Queen's castle burned to the ground.

Now, he remembered that there was one more person he had come to hate. A monarch with white hair...


	10. Chapter 9: Helping Her to Remember Pt 2

"Help!"

Mirana perked up from his quarters. Looking outside her room, she noticed no one was there. Shrugging, she headed back inside.

_I could sworn I heard someone call for help. And it sounded just like..._

"Help me!"

Trying to locate the source of the sound, Mirana stood absolutely still, unsure of whether or not her Mind was playing tricks on her.

"Someone help! Please!"

It came from outside the castle and was in the gardens. Sure that she determined the source, the White Queen darted out of her room and down the spiral staircase, only to find the whole castle in an uproar. The guards were scurrying all over the place, some headed in the direction she was, while others still trying to figure where the plea for help came from. She was soon joined by Mallymkun, Chessur and Larland.

"I'm certain that it came from outside, Your Majesty!" Larland exclaimed, staying ahead of the others as they ran through the audience chamber.

"I'm certain tha' tha' was Alice!" Mallymkun responded, dashing in between their feet. "The lass did say somethin' abou' goin' for a walk!"

They arrived outside, only to find a crowd of people near the Alice's statue, either gawking in horror, standing completely emotionless...or laughing.

That last part didn't quite fit the situation.

They pushed through the crowd, only to behold a surprising, and not so surprising, sight. Allison was lying on the ground, her eyes wide with fright. A large spotted creature with a massive head, feet and claws and a lengthy tail stood over her, sniffing her as it seemed. As it turned out, the Bandersnatch, believing that Alice had returned, must have saw Allison and confused the two. Eventually, it backed up and sat by the statue. Allison took the chance, got up and started to run. She then tripped, only to notice the four standing in front of her, amused looks on their faces.

"What?"

"Well, you should know," Chessur replied.

"Should know what?" Allison demanded, irritated that they took the situation lightly.

"As it turns out, you ran into the Bandersnatch."

"BanderWHAT?"

"Snatch," Mirana corrected, holding her hand out to help the girl to her feet. "Bandersnatch." She watched Allison catch her breath and glance back at the creature, who was lying down, staring at all four of them.

"Tha creatures plenty friendly, alrigh'," remarked Mallymkun, only for Allison to stare at her in disbelief.

"You're kidding me, right?"

* * *

This was not one of her better days.

It had only been about a week since Allison arrived in Underland and she wasn't exactly faring well. She had managed to completely discourage the Hatter and somehow found that the blue butterfly she talked to could understand her. Her great-grandmother, Alice Kingsleigh, may have come before her (how she figured that, she doesn't know). That and she was nearly trampled upon by a giant animal known as a Bandersnatch earlier that day.

As it turns out, the Bandersnatch seemed to be The Alice's pet.

Things were never like this at home.

Allison sighed and stared out the window of her bedroom. How she was going to get back home was the question. But at the same time, as she thought about it, Underland held in it this wondrous aura that she couldn't explain. If she could get things together somehow, maybe she could find some way to stay for a bit without worrying her family too much. And why she was thinking about this she couldn't explain herself. A sharp rap on the door brought her back to reality.

"May I enter your chambers?" a low, husky, but familiar voice asked. Allison answered yes and watched as Larland entered the room. For about a minute, the pair stared at each other, not sure how to break the uneasy tension that formed between them. Allison eyed his features carefully. His hair was short and had wistful bangs that barely touched his eyelids. His narrow, yellow eyes reminded him of the Hatter and matched his thin lips. The shape of his face reminded her of Harry's, if it was longer. He was bout 6' feet tall and had a long, lanky figure that was embellished in a white suit with a wispy pattern embroidered all over it.

All in all, he was very good-looking.

Not that she liked him, though.

Finally, she sighed. "I probably caused you guys a lot of trouble today."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Larland said, trying his best to assure her.

"You really think so?" Allison asked, not convinced. "I'm not The Alice, the other one, that is."

On this, Larland was silent. Instead, he walked over to the window overlooking the gardens. "I never met her."

"You can't be serious."

"I am," he replied, his face as stern as ever. "Time didn't permit me too. At the time, I was in the Outlands."

"The Outlands?" Allison wondered, suddenly intrigued.

_She and that horrible man were banished to most dreadful place in Underland. If only I could remember it's name..._

"Ah, yes," Larland replied. "I used to work under the Red Queen, y'know. I was her Royal Hatter until I created a hat that she didn't approve of. Greatly. So, I was sentenced to death the very next day. Then, that's when Chessur set me free-don't know how- and I fled. Found myself in the Outlands until Her Majesty found me and took me in. That was when they were erecting The Alice's statue."

Allison simply sat there, speechless. Even when Mallymkun told her as much as she could about Underland, they had all gone through a lot more than she had realized.

And probably could ever realize.

Maybe she was starting to remember what she never remembered.

"Alice," a familiar voice called. The White Queen seemed to float into the room, even with her serious face.

"Tarrant would like to see you."

* * *

"So, I would win the crown..."

"It's everything you've ever wanted, isn't it?" the woman smiled evilly.

"Ah, yes," the majestic creature roared. "It is time!"

"And besides, you will never have to get chased by those townspeople again," she replied. "I will personally make sure of it."

She stopped and picked up a remnant of a curved brick. "So, are you coming?"

"Yes," he bowed in respect," Your Majesty."

* * *

Allison followed Mirana's instructions to the letter, walking through the gardens at an ever-so-brisk pace.

Or, at least she thinks she followed them.

_Follow McTwisp to Dragonfly Rose-beds. There, turn opposite-ways at each turn in the path through the gardens until you get to a clearing. You should find him there._

Yes, the last part is what got her. She was at a turn. But wouldn't turning opposite-way lead her back to the castle? And the Dragonflies. She never expected them to be actual dragons with the wings of flies! She sighed and turned around. She'd just have to ask Mirana where to-

What the?

Allison looked at her feet. The path was a completely different color, one of a light green and led into what seemed to be the middle of the gardens. But wasn't it just...

Oh.

Finally grasping Mirana's instructions, she turned a full 180 at every turn. Eventually, despite the fact she was getting dizzy, she was on a path of light blue color that stopped right in front of a clearing.

In the middle of the clearing was a table.

At the end of the table was the Hatter.

On the table was an assorted array of tea cups, saucers, plates and tea pots, all worn with use. Scones, rolls and all other types of sweets adorned the space of each dish. All sat neatly on a white tablecloth.

Allison approached cautiously, sitting down in the only chair available. Tarrant looked up and saw that she had arrived.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, um, of course," she answered hastily, blushing a bit.

He grabbed a cup and began to pour. "I'm sorry."

"There's need to apologize," Allison began, only to be cut off.

"I haven't been myself," Tarrant said, "ever since My-er, Our Alice left. I wish I could, though. Then I could be Mad as well as happy. Of course, I don't see how anyone can be Mad as well as Happy, but I suppose you can somehow..."

"Hatter."

"Fez," he muttered, putting a cup to his lips. "Thank you. Like I was saying, I'm sorry for that most terrible outburst."

"No, no," she said. "Actually, I understand. If I were you, I would probably do the same thing for someone that I love."

Tarrant nearly sputtered. "Love?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you are in Love with her, right?"

Dead silence. Tarrant just stared at her, wide-eyed_. _She mentally slapped herself. _Wrong question._

"Why do you ask?" he remarked quietly. "Are you in Love with someone?"

"No," she replied, head down. "Haven't found him yet."

The Hatter put his cup down and placed a hand on his chin as if he was Thinking. "Well, you could say so. Of course, I never knew myself. Love, yes. I loved her. But in Love...I never thought of it that way... Oh! Anyway, like I saying. You see, I want...I want to make Amends."

Allison remained silent.

"Seeing that you're not our Alice," he started, " but rather, an Alice and The Alice, it's best to treat you like one."

"Are you saying you want to start over?" Allison asked, enjoying her cup of tea.

Confusion appeared on Tarrant's face before he answered. "Yes."

"Alright, then," she remarked.

"What?"

She stood up and held out her hand. "My name is Allison Kingsley. And you are?"

"Tarrant." He grabbed the outstretched hand and shook. "Tarrant Hightopp."

"Would you like to be friends?"

He smiled. "Yes, I would like that very much."

* * *

The path twisted again as he turned around for the 3rd time, finally on the road leading back to the castle. Allison had left earlier to check on the queen. But the question she asked remained in his Mind.

_"You are in Love with her, right?"_

He sighed. Mad Hatters were probably never meant to be loved, since they are Mad. But to Love someone else...

Perhaps he did Love Alice. Just a tiny bit. But with her gone, did he still?

Looking up, he noticed Allison conversing with The White Queen, his eyes slowly changing to a violet hue. But he shook it off. Surely, he wasn't falling in Love with her that soon.

Especially since she isn't THE Alice.

That and they just met.

It would be impossible.

Tarrant smiled, but a Doubt then crept into his mind.

_Wouldn't it?_

_

* * *

_**No AXT moments just yet! But I'm getting there! Right now, I'm working on a comic book. So I may be able to update as quickly. But I'll try.**** I think I should try and get Iraciebeth and Stayne a little more involved, hm?**_  
_


	11. Chapter 10: Hatters, Cats and Knaves

**And how long has it been since I've updated? Hopefully I get to update this more. Summer is coming, along with graduation. W00t! So I hope I have more time! Thanks for all the lovely reviews!**

* * *

_"Hatter?"_

_"Alice!"_

_"Hatter."_

_"Alice! It's you! It's really you!"_

_"You are him, right?"_

_"Of course I am, Alice. You remember, don't you?"_

_"I don't think so. I was told that I would find you here."_

_"You mean...you don't remember?"_

_"Remember what?"_

_"But, Alice! You told me you'd never forget!"_

_"Forget what? And just who are you?"_

_"You know who I am!"_

_"I'm sorry. I'm not sure that I do."_

_"Alice, please!"_

"Alice!"

Tarrant awoke with a start. His eyes darted around the room and he sighed. _It was only a dream._ That was one thing he was glad of. Even so, it still worried him that she may have forgotten and maybe she wasn't even around at all...

_Stop thinking slurvish things like that! You'll only get Madder!_

"Hatter?"

_It can't be happening again!_

"Hatter? Are you alright?"

The door creaked open to reveal Allison in a nightgown. His tussled hair only seemed to heighten her frightened expression as she stared at him. "Did something happen? I heard you scream..."

"Oh, " he sighed, completely relieved. "It's only you, Allison."

"Are you alright?" she asked, slowly walking from the doorway.

"Oh, I just had...I just had a Nightmare," he said. "Of course, you'd wouldn't want to hear about it. Especially from a Mad Hatter."

"I wouldn't mind," she replied, sitting down on the stool near his workbench. They could barely see each other, especially since the room was illuminated by the moonlight shining through his window.

Tarrant sighed." I...I dreamt of the Other Alice. Our Alice. I dreamed that she had forgotten me. And that she didn't remember Underland."

"How could she not remember Underland?"

"Abovelandians always forget Underland when they go back above to their homes," Tarrant said sadly." Time has a way of messing with everyone's Memories, I guess."

Allison said nothing, stroking her hair while she sat in the moonlight. Tarrant cleared his throat nervously. "Well, I guess, I'd best be going back to bed, now."

"Are you sure?" Allison asked.

"Oh, I'll..I'll be fine," Tarrant lied. "This doesn't really happen often..." Her eyes locked onto his and he sighed.

"Would you mind staying up until I calm down?"

"What?" Allison sprang up.

"No, no!" The Hatter waved his hands around frantically. "I don't mean any harm. I just need some company. That's all..."

"If that's all..." she said, trailing off.

"Besides, I might be the Mad Hatter," Tarrant said, trying to reassure her of her safety, " but I'm not, well, Mad, as you would consider Mad. Well, of course, up there, I would be considered Mad and they would try and...well, I heard that they would try and...

"Hatter."

"Fez. Thank you," He smiled. "Anyway, we don't have to talk about anything. You can just sit there if you would like...or stand there."

"Alright, then," she remarked, placing herself at the foot of the bed. "I won't mind. But only until you calm down?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

She didn't know it meant this.

Allison laid with her head at the foot of the bed, contemplating whether to leave or not. Both had fallen asleep. Hatter before her. She wanted to leave earlier, but she fell asleep before she had the chance. Now, it was early morning, not quite the time to get up just yet.

As it turned out, his calming down actually meant falling asleep. Every time he would try, he would start muttering constantly. He would get louder and louder, eventually prompting Allison to grab his hand in order for him to stop. When his mutterings finally led to light snores, she found she was too tired to even move and followed soon after. The young blond sighed quietly.

_Well, I can't just lie here. If someone comes in, they may suspect..._

Slowly rolling off the bed, Allison let herself onto the floor_. So far, so good._ She tiptoed towards the door, only to feel a woosh of air by her ear. "My, my. That was pretty naughty, wasn't it?"

Allison sighed. "Show yourself, Chessur."

"Ah, you're facing up to it, " the cat purred, appearing at the foot of the bed.

"I haven't done anything," Allison growled quietly, careful not to wake Tarrant.

"Oh, I know," he replied. "Don't worry. But...I wouldn't step foot out the door just yet."

"Why?" Allison asked. "Would Tarrant wake up?"

"Oh, no, he wouldn't," Chessur remarked. "But I would be wary of who stands outside that door if I were you."

Allison stopped and considered what he saying. It made sense. But who would be walking the halls of the castle at this hour?

As if he was reading her mind, Chessur said, "The White Queen isn't awake just yet, my dear. But her guards are on the prowl. You wouldn't want to alarm them, would you?"

"Good point," Allison whispered, setting herself down on the bed.

Chessur arranged himself in her lap. "If I could just ask one question. Do you believe that this is a dream?"

"A what?" Allison asked.

"A dream," the Cheshire Cat repeated. "Or do you believe that it's real?"

"You know," answered the young woman, petting the cat's head. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself. It's so...wondrous. Unbelievable. Unreal. It's like something that would come out of a fairytale or a diary...wait, not a diary. I'm sorry. I have no idea where I got that from. Anyway, it seems so real and yet, it's like a dream at the same time. A dream I don't want to leave from, but know I may...have...to..."

Chessur noticed her disappointment and patted her head with his paw. "Yes, you may have to, but who ever forced you to?"

Allison stopped.

Who did ever force her to?

* * *

He stopped and took a look around.

It had only been a few days and he had to silence a few flowers about his return by threatening to cut their water supply.

Somehow, he knew he wasn't lost.

This dreary forest looked very familiar.

Following the path, he saw what looked like a windmill in the distance. Once he got closer, he saw a tea table in front of it.

What's a blasted thing like a tea table doing out here...

He noticed a piece of blue fabric sticking out of a teapot. Pulling it out, he saw it was a dress. If that girl were small, she could fit in it.

That's when he felt a nasty blow to the head.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to come, Mally?" Mirana asked, cuping her hands for the dormouse to climb into.

"Alrigh', Your Majesty, " she replied regrettably. "Aye jus' don't know wha' good i' woul' do."

Mirana strolled up the stairs, arriving in front of the Hatter's workshop. Knocking on the door, she heard a dreadful clamor from the outside.

"Hatter? Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm just fine, Your Majesty!" a startled voice yelled from the inside.

Cautiously, a knight decided to open the door, only to find Tarrant and Allison on the floor, sitting next to each other. Both looked as if they had been hit by a hurricane. The young blond got up and did a very clumsy curtsey. "Good morning, Your Majesty," she said in a frightened voice. Kicking the Hatter, he soon did the same thing.

The look on the Queen's face told them otherwise.

Later that morning, they found themselves at the table. Allison and Tarrant explained the "situation" that the White Queen and Mally thought that they had opened themselves up to. Mirana sighed and placed her hand on her head. "Knowing Hatter not to be one to lie...I'm just glad that you didn't get into any 'situations'."

"Oh, no Your Majesty," they both replied.

"It's fine," Mirana assured, clasping her hands together. "Just be careful. It may have been worse, you know."

Both nodded in response. That's when one of the soldiers burst through the door. Larland quickly entered after. "Your Majesty!"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Your services are required," he stated, rather firmly. "There's a...man in the audience chamber."

"Does he demand to see me?" Mirana asked, rising up from the table.

"No," answered Larland. "In fact, it's better if you come and see for yourself."

Mirana's smile disappeared. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" she told the others.

Allison, Tarrant and Mally sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes That's when they heard a screech. "It can't be!"

"Wha's tha all abou'?" Mally asked, suddenly restless.

"Is she okay?" Allison looked at the Hatter, who only nodded. "She should be," he said, avoiding her gaze. "Usually the queen doesn't get this excited about things. But if you would like, we may go and make sure that she's alright."

"Well, let's go then!" Mally exclaimed, impatiently. She scampered off the table and onto the ground. Tarrant and Allison hurried after. After a few minutes, they heard what sounded like the Queen having a conversation. Except it was with herself. Opening the door cautiously, they saw a small crowd.

In front of the crowd was the White Queen.

In front of her...

"Ilosovic Stayne," Hatter growled, trying to keep his anger under control.

"That bloody knave," Mallymkun moaned, shaking her head.

Allison, on the other hand, was utterly confused. "Who?"


	12. Chapter 11: Of Balls and Memories

It was a surprising sight.

The guards held an unconscious Stayne, whose legs dragged the floor. Mirana paced to and fro, wondering what to do about her latest predicament, despite the fact that she clearly had the advantage here. Mally shook her head in despair, glancing from Mirana to the Hatter. Tarrant, who was on the verge of rage, kept himself under control even with his eyes slowly turning from yellow to red. But the one thing that puzzled them the most was Allison's reaction.

"Who?"

In reality, it shouldn't have surprised them at all, due to the fact that Allison was not Their Alice, but an Alice. The Alice. But all three couldn't help but look at her and realize that they couldn't react like they wanted to. In fact, her confused expression calmed them a little, even amused them. But it didn't help the situation.

"The Knave of Hearts," Mirana remarked.

"Oh, right!" Allison said, suddenly remembering her conversation with Mallymkun. "I never knew that he looked...um..."

"So intimidating?" The White Queen asked, only for the young woman to nod. Allison approached the guards and studied Stayne.

_A dastardly man dressed in knight's armor. He tried to tempt me once..._

Allison eyes widened with fear, suddenly seeing why she should be afraid. _If that happened to the other Alice, then that would mean...because I look just like her..._ Tarrant put his hand on her shoulder, as if reassuring her. She sighed and tried her best to keep calm.

"Your Majesty," one of the guards said, alerting Mirana's attention back to Stayne. She sighed. "I don't know what we should do what him, but for now, lock him up. I'll deal with him later."

"Yes, Your Highness," both guards said simultaneously, quickly leading him away.

The White Queen turned around to face the Hatter, Allison, Larland and Mallymkun. "Larland, would you mind keeping Allison company for a while?" she asked, oblivious to the tint of yellow in the Hatter's eyes. He only nodded in response and holding out his arm to Allison, led her outside to the gardens.

* * *

"So, he was knocked unconscious outside the March Hare's home," Mirana stated, sitting on her throne. The guards nodded and continued. "Your Majesty, we were unsure whether to send him back to the Outlands or bring him to you."

"Well, I would have sent him back to the Outlands myself," she admitted, "but if he was really...dazed, as you said, and muttering himself trying to regain his Memories, we'll keep him here for the time being. If he cannot control himself, he shall be banished to the Outlands once more and will be automatically returned every time he escapes."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards said in unison, uncertainty in their voices. They left her presence. As soon as the doors closed, she let out a heavy sigh. What was she thinking? Letting in the Knave of Hearts? The Red Queen's right hand man? Even if he was dazed as the guards said, he was very well capable of overtaking the throne if left unattended once he woke. And if he had escaped the Outlands, Iracebeth wasn't too far behind. And was more than likely, intent on getting revenge. But how would she get separated from the Knave?

"Your Majesty."

Mirana jolted up, only to see McTwisp, who was twitching nervously.

"If I may remind you," the rabbit muttered. "Time is complaining about having to prolong the UnAnniversary of the Frabjous Day."

"How could I forget?" Mirana sighed. "I guess my Memory was too cluttered at the time. Thank you, McTwisp. I'll inform everyone that it is to happen in three days, as a formal decree. Would you mind announcing that?"

"No, you're Majesty," he replied, bowing in response. With a flick of her hand, he bounded off.

* * *

"No, no, it's fine," Allison replied. "I'm just wondering."

She and Larland had finally decided to return from their stroll in the gardens. (The flowers had complained a bit too much about the "weed" that they were subject to.) During that time, they hardly said a word, making small talk.

"Enjoying your walk?"

The pair looked up to see Tarrant, standing by a statue of a knight. He smiled infectiously and seemed to be full of color.

"I guess," Allison said, shrugging. "Those flowers are very irritating. They kept calling me a weed."

"Most of them get jealous of any creature that they believe is prettier than they are," he remarked casually.

Allison blushed wildly. "Oh...you...no, I can't be!"

"All Alices are beautiful," the Hatter whispered quietly.

"Hm?" Allison asked.

"It's the truth," Larland interjected, ignoring the flash of yellow in Tarrant's eyes. "You are a lovely young woman."

Allison only fidgeted with her hands nervously, somewhat flattered by the compliments that she received. "Thank you."

"Not at all," both men said simultaneously, seemingly glaring at each other. Allison only smiled. A sudden thump brought her attention to the garden gate. McTwisp then lumbered over to the trio. "The UnAnniversary is going on as planned."

"The what?" Allison asked.

"Ah, the Frabjous Day!" Tarrant exclaimed, brightening up again. "It's the Fifth UnAnniversary of the White Queen's victory over the Red Queen! Your sudden arrival proved as a distraction from it for a while."

"When it is occurring?" Larland questioned.

"Because of the Time's ImPatience," McTwisp admitted. "Three days."

"Three days?" Tarrant asked. "I don't have much Time! There will be much work to do! I have so many Hats left to finish..."

"Might I remind you that I was a Hatter?" Larland interrupted. "If you would like, I could offer some assistance."

Hatter kept silent, seemingly irritated by Larland's request. Finally, he sighed. "If you insist."

'Ah, that's right," both heard McTwisp say in the distance. "You need an outfit. Something appropriate. Light blue seems to be your color...well, you are an Alice after all. Tarrant may be able to help you."

"I thought he was the Royal Hatter," Allison admitted.

"Ah, yes," McTwisp remarked. "But per request, or his own doing, he designs outfits of any kind, for any occasion. As long as Time permits."

Allison seemed to be contemplating the opportunity. She then nodded and turned towards the Hatter.

"Would you mind designing a dress for the UnAnnniversary for the um, Frabjous Day for me?"

* * *

"He's up!"

"Stand your guard!"

All guards straightened up in front of the cell. Stayne finally stopped stirring and opened his eyes. Looking around, he noticed that he was a dark dungeon-like area. Only difference was that it was much brighter and he was surrounded by guards that resembled chess pieces.

Soldiers it seemed.

He attempted to stand up, only to realize he was chained to the wall behind him. He sighed. _Typical._

Stayne turned his head at the sound of footsteps…or at least at the sight of a white gown seemingly floating into the dungeon. He was met with the face of the white-haired monarch.

"Stayne."

"…"

"I know the shock you must feel of being captured here," Mirana replied sternly.

"…"

"You have nothing to say?" The White Queen asked, somewhat irritated by his silence.

"…Captured?" Stayne asked, a bit bewildered at the fact that he was there. Then he remembered his lapse into Unconsciousness. _Oh._

Mirana continued. "Where is Iracebeth?"

"Iracebeth…" muttered the Knave of Hearts. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"Your lies won't go too far here," she threatened.

"Despite all the Lies I've said in the past," he stated plainly. "I have no Memory of Iracebeth's whereabouts whatsoever. That bloody cur bashed my head in some months ago and had already disappeared when I came to." He tried to motion to the gash on the side of his head, failing miserably and hoping this would soften the Queen's expression.

He failed miserably at that as well.

The White Queen's expression remained unchanged. "You shall be kept under watch until I release you…which won't be anytime soon."

"Not that I expect you to," Stayne admitted to Mirana's surprise. "I know I did something horrible in the past…which I cannot remember."

Mirana's eyebrow twitched somewhat, her only reason being that Stayne calling was his own actions horrible. She shook it off and left him to his solitude. Stayne only sighed and returned to the back of his cell.

* * *

"Ah! Here we are!" Tarrant exclaimed.

He brought a rack of a multi-colored array of fabrics, sifting through them vigorously. He finally settled on a sea green color and ran over to another overstuffed closet, expertly matching it to a bolt of silk fabric. Smiling, he took the bolt and began to measure the next outfit. "Mrs. Tuttlewiscker will be most pleased…"

As he spread out the tape, his Mind began to wander to other things, such as an earlier conversation…

_"Would you mind designing a dress for the UnAnnniversary for the um, Frabjous Day for me?"_

_Tarrant was absolutely thrilled and terrified. Alice, er, Allison, asked him to conjure up a dress for the ball? Not Larland? Surely, he was mistaken. He then noticed as Allison's expression dropped, seemingly from waiting too long._

_"Ah, yes!" he exclaimed, back in tune with the rest of the world. "I would be honored, love."_

_Allison smiled almost immediately…_

Now, he almost wished he didn't hear her question.

Despite being an Alice, even if she was The Alice, he didn't know what This Alice would like. Blue would be a preference, but what if she liked another color? Green? Red? Purple? Pumpernickel? Surely, she would be displeased if he automatically whipped up a dress without knowing her thoughts on it. He sighed and pushed himself to continue with the measurements.

_Is it impossible to be in Love with The __Alice__?_

He shook his head furiously. It had not been even 2 weeks since they'd met! He had adored the other Alice, but still…they acted so much alike it was hard to tell the difference. And she was a lovely creature…

_But who would love a Hatter?_

Tarrant's shoulders slumped. Even if she was the other Alice and even if he was in Love with her, she would never love him. He never matched up to the standards to the Abovelands and never would. Of course, no one would.

_Of course, with the way she warmed up to me so quickly..._

He gradually started to knit a little faster, slowly smiling as he went.

He could always hold on to a little piece of hope.

* * *

**Darn you, graduation! Why did you have to get in the way of this lovely project? Anyway, sry for the long update. This took a while. Now that I finally planned out the story the way I wanted to, I could probably get more updates in. I'll also start personally replying to you guys' reviews starting in the next chapter. Til' next time!**


	13. Chapter 12: Destinies and Feelings

**Disclaimer: If I owned Alice in Wonderland, Mallymkun would've had a tiny sword instead of a sewing needle.**

* * *

"He's lyin. Aye know i'!"

Mallymkun brandished her sword towards Mirana, showing her irritation on the matter of Stayne's 'Forgetfulness.'

"Tha' n' 'e called 'is own actions 'orrible!" the dormouse exclaimed. "Doesn't tha' make ye a wee bit suspicious?"

The Queen said nothing in response. Mallymkun, finally noticing this, gradually changed from arrogant to worrisome. "Your Majesty?" the dormouse asked.

Mirana sighed. "Ah, Mallymkun, I share your doubts as well. But from what I know, Stayne was not a very good actor. To my sister, yes. But to the rest of us...I might as well get to the point. If Stayne didn't forget, he would've shown in some misplaced smirk. In this instance, it didn't appear."

"Don't tell mae ye trust tha o'..."

"Never crossed my mind," the Queen quietly snapped, shifting on her throne. "It only confuses me more. For now, he will be kept under strict watch."

"I don't consider tha' a harsh punishment," Mallymkun replied with a smile.

"By me," the Queen continued.

"But-!" Mirana put up a hand. "No further discussion of the matter, Mallymkun." Her steely gaze let the dormouse know that she was serious.

Mallymkun sighed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Mirana smiled slightly, patting her companion on the head. "Don't get your Worries tied up in a knot. You know what happens when you do. I'll be fine."

The dormouse nodded, automatically agreeing with what was said, but she still felt a twinge. Of something.

Whether it involved Stayne or not, she didn't know.

* * *

"Your Majesty?"

Larland entered the dungeon, obviously under the impression that Mirana was there. The area surprised him in its atmosphere, seemingly glowing and eerie at the same time.

"Your Highness?" he called again.

"You're not going to find her down her if that's what you're looking for."

He turned around to see Stayne, leaning against the back wall of his cell. "But then again...wait, you look familiar."

"I was...Royal Hatter to the Red Queen some Time ago," Larland managed to stutter.

"Ah, I remember you," Stayne said bluntly. "Never met you, but I remember you...I think."

"What do you want?" asked Larland plainly, trying his best look firm despite being intimidated.

"You asked for the White Queen," Stayne remarked, standing up. "Well, I can tell you she's not here. You missed her by an hour."

"That Hatter..." mumbled Larland to himself.

Stayne flinched. "H-hatter...Hatter?"

"Yes, the Mad Hatter," Larland groaned, somewhat irritated by the subject itself. "Stayne didn't respond, instead muttering something about memories. Larland decided to humor him in order to put a quick end to the conversation. "Do you know him?"

"Do...or did?"

"Either," Larland huffed.

"Maybe," Stayne answered truthfully. "I lost most of my Memories, so I'm not sure. Was he rather...well, Mad? Eccentric?"

"Completely," Larland groaned. "And still is."

"You don't seem to take a liking to him," remarked Stayne, crossing his arms.

"Who would?" Larland asked, exasperated.

Stayne didn't respond for a moment. "I'm not sure if you should be asking me that question."

"Oh, right." Larland slid his hand down his face.

"What's your Purpose?"

"Hm?" Larland asked.

Stayne shifted from side to side. "Your Purpose. You obviously wanted to see The White Queen. What for?"

Larland remained silent, his cheeks turning a bright pink. Stayne, silently catching onto this, smirked. "You fancy her perhaps?"

That ended the conversation. Larland straightened up and turned away. "If you excuse me, I have some business to attend to." He walked quickly up the stairs, his footsteps echoing throughout the dungeon. Stayne sighed. He couldn't blame him, but he couldn't remember why.

Could it have been that he fancied the queen?

The idea didn't seem too farfetched. Stayne sat against the wall and closed his eyes.

Hopefully he would remember more in the morning.

* * *

"What?"

The card bowed deeply, groveling on the ground.

"Please, Your Majesty, this is what I heard. I could hardly believe it myself."

Iracebeth sneered and turned her back towards her subject. "So, she's returned."

"There is something else, Your Highness," the Lion boomed. "It's another Alice."

"Another Alice?" She exclaimed, her face red.

"Yes," her new ally continued, not affected by her sudden outburst. "There is word that she may be part of the Original Alice's lineage, meaning The Alice may have passed on."

Iracebeth smiled. "Finally, I was wondering when that wretched cur would breathe her last breath. Even so, another Alice would mean more trouble for me. Any ideas on her whereabouts?"

"Word has gone out that she is currently residing at Marmoreal," a seven of hearts card replied.

Iracebeth scoffed. "Heh. I should've known. What about Stayne?"

"No word whatsoever Your Majesty," he said.

The former Red Queen remained silent, looking in the direction of the White Queen's castle. "3 days. Just in time for the UnAnniversary of my defeat...or so they say."

The Lion knelled down as a five of hearts card helped her on his back. "Onward!" she yelled, pointing her staff forward.

* * *

McTwisp bounded across the gardens as quickly as he could, weaving and bobbing between The White Queen's subjects, a scroll in his hand. Scurrying through the audience hall, he tripped over his own two feet, arriving in a heap in front of dining hall's arch. Mirana, noting this, stopped eating her dinner and waved him over. Once at her side, he bowed gracefully and announced as loudly as his little voice could get, "Your Majesty, it is Time."

"Time?" All the occupants at the table turned their heads. Mirana looked at the rabbit in utmost curiosity. "For what, McTwisp?"

"The Orachulum," he said between breaths, "has finally opened."

Mirana's eyes widened. "Where is Absolem?"

"Always where you need me." The butterfly floated through the archway and landed on the Orachulum, balancing delicately on the unsteady compendium. "Alice."

"Yes?" the mentioned girl asked, rising from her spot at the table. Mirana called her to the other side. The others (Tarrant, Larland, Mallymkun, the Tweedles and Thackery) soon followed suit, realizing how important the matter was.

"Sit down, child," Absolem ordered. Allison immediately obeyed, sitting next to Mirana.

Absolem nodded to McTwisp, who stood up on a nearby chair and unrolled the Orachulum to the present day. "Today is Bilium Day, in the reign of the White Queen," McTwisp started, instantly reminded of his second encounter with The Alice. He pointed towards the picture of them sitting in the same positions they were at that moment, looking at the Orachulum.

"Show her the Twilig Day," remarked Abosolem. The rabbit unrolled the document about 10 days into the future. The picture was that of a young woman with curly hair leaping in the air at a huge lion, brandishing a sword. Allison gulped. "Is that...me?"

"What shall happen in 10 days," Absolem announced nonchalantly. "The day the Red Queen's reign comes to an end and so shall another."

"Another what?" Hatter asked, worried that he meant Allison.

"That I cannot reveal," admitted Absolem. "For now, you shall all wait and see. For if this child follows the path correctly, whether she strays or not, all shall go well." With that, he fluttered his wings and flew off, disappearing through the open window. The group remained silent, most remembering how The Alice reacted when she found out that she was to fight the Jabberwocky in only a couple of days.

Allison's expression remained emotionless.

Eventually, they finished off their dinner's in silence, Allison being the first to leave and excuse herself. Eventually, all but the Hatter and the White Queen had left.

"Tarrant," Mirana said, sighing.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he answered.

"Would you mind checking on Allison?"

He said nothing in response, pushing his plate away. She continued. "I'm worried that she may not be able to face up to this."

"Then, she is an Alice," Hatter responded quietly, looking up. "I'm not sure how this would help, Your Majesty."

"It will help more than you would know," Mirana said truthfully. "Please."

Hatter said nothing, closing his eyes as if he was deep in thought. He finally nodded, getting up from the table, excusing himself and exiting the he left, Mirana rose and strolled over to the window, looking into the dark of the night.

"Oh, Iracebeth, what will you cause now?"

* * *

Allison shook her head fervently. It was no use. She couldn't get the picture of 'her' fighting that large creature out of her Mind. How could she be able to do such a thing as that anyway? Her, brandishing a sword? And fighting a lion of all animals! She was not one for fighting anyone, especially animals. She barely had any fighting skills on her own. She wasn't weak, but being a female...

Allison sighed and lay back onto the bed. Her head was in a whirlwind of thoughts. UnAnniversaries, the possibility of never going back home, the Orachulum, fighting the battle of her life. It seemed to be too much for her to take. Plus the new thoughts that entered her mind.

_I was horrified. How should be able to take down such a creature?_

_Twin boys with the oddest ways of speaking. They reminded me of the Chattaways..._

_Where were these thoughts coming from?_ Allison knew they were familiar, but they weren't her words. That's when something else popped into her head. Was she ever reading a book of some kind? A book about Underland?

Her Thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" a familiar lisp asked.

"Of course, Tarrant," Allison sighed. A little company could help her get her mind of her thoughts.

The Hatter entered the room, his hat in his hand. Allison suddenly found her eyes darting to the top of his head, following the roots to the frayed ends of his hair. She shook it off, realizing that it was somewhat hypnotic. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you alright, Allison?"

She nearly blushed at the sound of her name. "I'm..I'm fine."

"Your voice lets me know otherwise," he said quietly.

Allison exhaled, letting out a breath she never knew she had. "It's overwhelming. Underland, the Orachulum, the UnAnniversary. Everything, Hatter. Everything. I mean, I've only been about a week and already I've been entrusted with the responsibility to battle a lion. An enormous one at that!"

Tarrant nodded, remembering how Alice felt when she told him that she wouldn't be able to slay the Jabberwocky.

"And the possibility of never coming home! Or never coming back to Underland! And forgetting this wonderful place for good! How am I supposed to deal with all this, Tarrant? My mother wouldn't even allow me to date anyone without her approval!"

"Absolutely no imagination?" he asked to himself, not realizing that she probably heard.

"Mum's not that hopeless," Allison admitted truthfully. "She just doesn't want to lose me like she lost my father..."

"Your father?" Tarrant's eyes turned a deep blue.

"He died in an accident when I was young," Allison said, trying not to sound emotional. "He couldn't control it and I didn't understand at time that he would never come home. When he was alive, she was alive. They completed each other. When he died, some part of her died also. She came down harder on me than ever before. I guess it was a way of dealing with grief. I never resented my mother. I just want her to realize that I'm old enough to make my own decisions..."

They stayed silent after she trailed off. Eventually, it was broken with the sound of small sobs. Almost on instinct, Tarrant pulled Allison into a hug, letting her tears stain his vest. "What am I going to do, Hatter?" she blubbered between sobs. "What am I going to do..."

His only response was to hold her tighter, his chin resting on his head. Her hands gripped his vest as she shook uncontrollably. As she cried, Allison couldn't help but feel an unnatural warmth rising from within her, but ignored it due to her emotions. They stayed like that for a while until Allison finally calmed down, her sobs becoming a slow, but heavy breathing. He released her and stood up, straightening his clothes.

"Oh," she managed to say between breaths. "Your vest..."

"It's fine, love," he said, causing her to smile.

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered. "I caused you so much trouble before I thought..."

"Alice," he interrupted, grabbing her shoulders. "Stop Worrying so much. I promise that everything will be alright. You will be able to handle this with the grace and beauty of Our Alice. I know it."

Allison smiled even more, giggling a bit. He then cupped her face and kissed her on the forehead. Heading towards the doorway, he grabbed the door and looked back. "Goodnight, Allison."

"Goodnight."

The door slowly closed behind him. Allison then suddenly became aware of the thumping of her heart, immediately laying hands on her chest.

She was almost certain that he was going to kiss her.

And that Thought enlightened her and frightened her at the same time.

Her Dreams that night were of Hatters, Tea Parties and UnAnniversaries.

* * *

**Yay, fluff! I think this is my favorite chapter of all! (For now...)**

**I'm going to Chicago on Friday/Saturday of this week, so I may or may not be able to update the next chapter soon. Let's hope I can!  
**


	14. Chapter 13: Surprise Me

**I'm back from the oblivion of writer's block (or a lost composition book), so I hope to update more because I have time (woot!). Weekly to Bi-weekly, perhaps? We shall see.**

**In The Light-Hija: Thank you! I smile everytime I read the fluffiness as well. And there shall be more!**

**Neelh: :)**

**Disclaimer: I never thought of creating a movie about a guy with scissors for hands. Or a mouse with black ears.**

* * *

"Uilleam!" Tarrant exclaimed as the dodo entered into the dining hall the next morning. "You have the orders?"

"Yes," he replied between breaths. "If Time wasn't ImPatient, I would've returned sooner..."

"No need to Worry," Tarrant assured him, receiving the scroll from the bird's wing. "You did a fine job."

Uilleam only nodded and turned, not expecting to see Allison sitting at the table, completely frozen and wide-eyed. "Oh, another Alice?"

"The Alice," Mallymkun corrected.

Allison remained speechless as Uilleam approached her. "The poor girl. She looks like she's in shock!"

"You're...you're a dodo bird..." Allison stuttered.

"Why yes, that's quite obvious my dear," Uilleam replied, not understanding her surprise.

"In the Abovelands," Allison remarked. "Dodos are well...extinct."

"Extinct? !" Uilleam exclaimed. "Who would ever do such a thing? !"

"Greedy men who wanted your feathers," Allison admitted. "Most haven't seen a dodo in their whole life. They went extinct a long time ago in my World."

"Well," Uilleam said, somewhat surprised, "now I understand your reaction. Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Uilleam, Royal Messenger and Deliverer to the White Queen. I'm here to give the Hatter his requests for the UnAnniversary Ball tomorrow."

"Allison Kingsley." She extended her hand to shake his wing. "I'm here by falling through the Looking Glass. I think I'm supposed to kill a lion...maybe?"

Uilleam smiled. "Just like when Alice was here and she believed she didn't have the strength nor will to slay the Jabberwocky, eh Tarrant?"

Tarrant smiled and nodded. "Just like her."

"I'm sorry I'm late," Mirana announced, entering the room. "The servants had begun preparations for the UnAnniversary of the Frabjous Day tomorrow and my services were needed..."

A collective growl went through the room. Mirana simply laughed ."You could've begun the meal without me, especially if you were hungry enough. I appreciate that you waited for me, though."

The group exchanged glances and begun to eat. Allison mostly ate with her head down, for she didn't want everyone to see her embarrassment of sitting by the Hatter.

"Alice," Tarrant said.

"Yes, Tarrant?"

He blushed slightly. "If you don't mind I would like to speak to you later in the workshop. The matter of your dress is at hand, since you are the Guest of Honor..."

"Guest of Honor?" Allison nearly choked.

"You are an Alice," Mirana stated.

"Oh, right," Allison replied. "Anytime is fine, Hatter." She smiled. After a few seconds, both turned away in embarrassment.

Larland looked away, somewhat jealous, while Mirana watched inquisitively. The others didn't seem to notice, wrapped up in their own nonsense conversations.

It would be a very interesting UnAnniversary the next night.

* * *

"Alice!"

Allison ignored the tiny voice that seemed to follow her into the dungeon as she crept along.

"Alice! Ye shouldn' be down hae!"

The mentioned girl rolled her eyes and continued onward. Eventually, Mallymkun scurried down the steps and landed in front of her. Allison stepped over the dormouse and continued on her way.

"Alice!" Mallymkun called again.

"What?"

"Wha' are ye doin'?" Mallmykun questioned, trying to keep up. "Mirana isn't down hae!"

"Like I don't know," she mumbled, slowing. "I wanted to see what's _he's_ like..."

"And when di' this idea pop inta ye 'ead?"

"It's been there all day," Allison groaned, slowly approaching the cell. Stayne stirred slightly at the new visitor he had received. "You're awfully brave, love."

"Braver than ye'll eva' bae," the dormouse scoffed, brandishing her tiny sword.

Stayne only chuckled. "So, what is your Purpose down here?"

Allison thought long and hard before answering. "Curiosity, I suppose."

"Curiousity," he muttered, looking away from them. "Just like that girl..."

"Let's leave," Mallymkun suggested, turning towards the stairs. Allison didn't budge.

"You wouldn't happen to be her, would you?" he asked.

"Well, I am The Alice," Allison announced. "But I'm not Your Alice. People keep saying I'm An Alice."

"You're An Alice," he repeated slowly, seemingly testing it out. "Not The."

She nodded.

"Good."

"Hm?"

"I tried something with The Alice that she didn't particularly like," Stayne admitted, causing Mallymkun to raise an eyebrow. "I can't remember the incident, but I do know it was wrong...If you were Her instead of An Alice, I know you wouldn't take too kindly to me..or accept my apology for...whatever...I...did."

"Apology!" exclaimed Mallymkun, completely baffled to his motives.

"...Are you serious?"

"Hm?" He turned towards Allison.

"Your apology," Allison replied, crossing her arms.

"Surprisingly...I am," he admitted.

"Yae cannae possibly believe tha' slurking..."

"Mallymkun!" Allison exclaimed, causing the dormouse to jump. "Please!"

Turning to Stayne, she ordered, "Then prove it. Apologize. I'm pretty good at figuring out lies."

Lifting his head to look her in the eye, he opened his mouth to speak...

* * *

"Hatter?" Allison cautiously opened the door to workshop, hoping that it wasn't empty (she didn't want to get caught in that dress again). Instead, she heard this persistent _whirr_ that seemed to get louder as she came in. Once the door was fully open, she saw Larland and Tarrant working feverishly, each with a different assortment of fabrics at their disposal. Larland seemed to working on a suit that was of a teal blue color with a silver trim. The Hatter looked as if he was putting the finishing touches on a woman's tea hat, which was a crimson color with red lace and black trim. Both made no indication that they had seen Alice and continued with their trade.

"*ahem*."

Both looked up and smiled. Allison blushed at the response.

"Have a seat anywhere you'd like, love," Tarrant replied, placing the finished hat on a nearby hat rack.

Allison nodded and settled down on the only chair that wasn't covered in fabric. The Hatter quickly grabbed a long piece of lace and, grabbing a white sailor's hat, began to measure it. Larland stayed behind his work station, silently watching the pair as they started to converse innocently.

"Are you ready to describe what you want for your dress, lass?" Tarrant asked. She nodded again and rose, looking at sample dresses that flourished in their splendor from afar. Knowing that she could have none of these (and having no idea to explain how to design a Victorian's era dress), she decided to give him a challenge. Putting her hand up to her chin, she looked as if she was deep in though on purpose, supposedly eyeing the dresses. Turning around, she clasped her hands together nearly causing both men to jump.

"Surprise me."

Tarrant's expression became blank. "Come again, love?"

"I have absolutely no idea of how to style a dress in Underland," she admitted plainly, rocking back in forth on her feet. "But if you wouldn't mind, I could give you something random to work on so I can see what you can come with.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Scurrying across the room (and not noticing an eye roll from Larland), he disappeared inside of a closet and emerged with a roll of measuring tape. Motioning for her to stand on a nearby pedestal, she instructed her to stretch out her arms to each side and began to measure her height.

"I simply adore coming up with whimsical creations," he replied. "What did you have in mind?"

"Hmm..." Allison pondered a bit before answering. "Blue."

"Blue?" He wrapped the tape around her waist.

"As many shades as you can come up with," continued she.

He smiled a bit wider. "Anything else in particular? Hats? Length? Lace?"

"Lace would be fine," she admitted, closing her eyes. She let out a small squeal when she felt the tape wrap around her bust. Noticing this, Hatter blushed and muttered a quiet apology.

"It's fine. Oh, and can I wear your hat?"

Tarrant laughed heartily. "I"m sorry, Alice, but I'm afraid that one thing I can't do. You see, a Hatter's hat..."

"Not with the dress." She quickly scooped it off his head and placed it on hers, not expecting for it slip over her eyes. The Hatter chuckled, while (a rather jealous) Larland managed to stifle a laugh. Allison huffed and handed it back to the Hatter before he could grab it. "I wanted to know if you could make one just like it, with the same colors on the dress."

Tarrant nodded. "That will be quite a challenge, lass. But I happily accept."

Beaming, Allison enveloped Tarrant in a long, bear hug. As he slowly came to terms with had just happened, Larland almost massacred the hat he was stitching.

"Thank you," she said while pulling away. "For yesterday."

"Anytime, love," remarked he, smling infectiously to hide the blush on his face. "I'm there whenever you need me."

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Your Majesty, Aye repeated i' three times," Mallymkun nearly sighed.

Mirana sat down on her throne with a huff. "Do you remember what he happened after she demanded the apology?"

Mallymkun opened her mouth to speak...

_Allison leaned from side to side, her arms crossed as she waited for Stayne's apology. Mallymkun, who didn't want to push the young woman any further, resisted the urge to scream out all her contentions against Stayne, who at the moment, seemed to be pondering on his "apology." Finally, after a few minutes, he lifted his head and looked directly at her._

_"I'm sorry. For the horrible, horrendous, disgusting thing that I tried to force upon her. For the crimes that I cannot remember, that I know were worthy of death, but somehow, I was banished to the Outlands instead. For even being allianced with that cur of a "queen" as she calls herself."_

_Letting his head drop to his chest, Mallymkun's mouth hung in disbelief as he made his next words. "I hope you can forgive me. I will subject myself to whatever punishment that the Queen puts upon me."_

_An eerie silence enveloped the dungeon. Allison unfolded her arms and walked to the bars of the cell. "Apology accepted." Before anyone could reply, she turned on her heel and walked out of the dungeon. Mallymkun, who was stunned by the whole situation itself, quickly scurried after her once she realized that Allison was gone._

Mirana's mouth firmed into a thin line and she raised her eyebrows. "Interesting."

"Mirana," the dormouse said after making sure they were completely alone, "Could Allison actually...Aye mean, Stayne... 'e seemed...sincer'...when 'e apologized tae the lass. 'e didn't falter while speakin'..."

"I guess that bump did him some good then," Mirana remarked, smirking even though she was completely serious. "Let's not worry about that right now. But if this continues, I just may let him enjoy the Ball tomorrow evening. With a safe distance from the others, of course."

"Ye sure, Your Majesty?" Mallymkun replied, unsure.

Mirana said nothing, seemingly pondering on the past events of past couple of days ever since Allison had arrived.


	15. Chapter 14: The Calm Before The Storm

**I'm back! Thanks to my reviewers, I realized that I needed to watch the movie again to get inspired. Even though I only watched about ten minutes, the ideas started flowing again. So early update! Hopefully I can make it ever earlier next time.**

**DragonRose4: Thanks for the tip! It really helped me to see that things were starting to dull out. Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

**Phoenixica24: Well, I usually can't write fluff without a purpose. Thanks!**

**James Birdsong: :)**

**NinMetro: I can't kick my bunnies! I might bop them on the head every once in while, lol. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned AiW, Alice would've stayed or at least returned.**

* * *

The very next morning, Allison woke up in a strange state of bliss. Stretching and fluffing her hair, she felt strangely warm, inside and out. Ignoring it and walking over to the window, she gazed at the statue Of The/Our Alice as it was beling cleaned by the servants in preparation for the ball that evening. Then a sudden Thought hit her.

Had Alice ever wanted to return home?

Of course, at first, she probably did. Who wouldn't after plummeting down a large rabbit hole and being plunged into a world that you had no almost no way of escaping from?

But, eventually, after meeting all the wondrous characters and seeing the land for herself, more than likely, she'd love to stay.

But why didn't she?

Mallymkun stated that Alice had to figure out some things at home for herself first. Then she would return. She made a 'Promise.' But she never came.

She probably couldn't, maybe eternally stuck in the drab, colorless world she grew up in. (Of course, the way the world is now, most who saw Underland would've never returned to the Abovelands, if they really liked it, that is) Or if Allison really was related to Alice, she may have passed on before she even got the chance.

Turning around, Allison leaned against the windowsill. Everything was coming at her so quickly. Her (possible) feelings for the Hatter. The UnAnniversary Ball tonight. In 7 or 8 days, she was supposed to do battle with a Lion...

She clutched her chest, cursing herself for having forgotten.

Slipping out the doorway and downstairs, she was almost swept away by the flurry of activity that the castle was immersed in. Jostled (and apologized to) by a few servants, she lost her footing and started to fall backward, not expecting a pair of hands to catch her by the shoulders.

"Be careful now," a familiar voice replied. "We wouldn't want our Guest of Honor getting hurt now, would we?"

"Larland," Allison managed to get out once her breath returned. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He bowed slightly and escorted her to the dining room.

* * *

"But, Your Majesty, you do not actually think he would try to take over the throne, would you?"

Mirana turned to one of the Red Queen ex-subjects, "Lady Big Ears" or Cornelia. The woman seemed to shiver with fear, unsure of what the Queen's chilling gaze meant.

"Cornelia has a point, Queen Mirana," a knight said from a distance. "We do not know what he is capable of."

Mirana sighed. "I knew you would be apprehensive about this. I am myself, actually. But one thing I do know is that something happened to him between his banishment and now. He claims he was bashed in the head by Iracebeth. Somehow, due to the fact that a bishop has to dress the wound on his forehead now and then, that seems to be true. Also, Alice managed to sneak down there and speak some Sense into him or at least get it out."

"He's bound to remember sometime, Your Majesty," another servant said. "That could trigger his original..."

"You don't think I know all this?" Mirana asked, indicating her irritation with the subject already. The murmuring crowd suddenly went silent, ashamed of approaching the White Queen in such a way. She sighed and turned around. "He's being kept under strict watch. The only reasons I've relieved the amount of guards is due to 'good behavior'."

She walked through the Chamber, examining the faces of her subjects. "I'd never compromise your safety, especially since the Ball is tonight. Now, I would like for no more words to be spoken on this matter until I say so. I don't want the mood to be brought down during the Celebration because everyone's worried about a prisoner. Please, go on with your Duties."

The crowd, somewhat uneasily, exited the throne room. Once they left, she exhaled suddenly and leaned against a windowsill. Opening it, she held out her hand for a certain blue butterfly, who landed on her outstretched palm.

"Absolem."

"A Queen you cannot be in this state," he stated plainly. "And a Queen you are not if you are Worrying yourself."

Mirana remained silent as Absolem fluttered his wings. "I'd be more Worried about Alice if I were you."

"Why is that, Absolem?" she asked. "Is there something amiss about this Alice?"

"She is the Alice and always will be," he remarked. "But news has traveled far. You think your subjects would keep their mouths shut once they found out?"

"News of An Alice are always important in Underland," replied the White Queen, her eyesbrows furrowed.

"Yes, but because of it, the Concerns should be more of what is going to happen."

"Where are you getting at?" she asked, her Curiousity picqued as she held him.

"There are adversaries waiting. For any chance to strike. I cannot say who. I just know that there are."

"Stayne..." Mirana grumbled.

"They will not come within," the butterfly said. "Outside, rather. "

Mirana huffed. Iracebeth couldn't of escaped the Outlands, couldn't she? Of course, if Stayne escaped...

She couldn't take any chances.

"Thank you, Absolem," she said, not aware that she was cutting him off. "I know what I must do now."

"My pleasure, Mirana," he said, his voice wavering. With a flutter, he flew off into the garden. Settling on a particular mushroom, he let out what sounded like a sigh.

"Anything she does will not change what will become."

* * *

"Thank you, Hatter!"

"Anytime, lass," he replied, bowing to the young woman in front of him. She blushed and, taking the bundle in her arms, ran into the Audience Chamber.

Tarrant sighed, sitting down in a nearby chair. He had been up to his neck in requests the other day, not letting the others know how much work he really had. He didn't even let Larland work with him into the previous night. Not that he wasn't delighted to do it. It was just didn't want to let the others know of his exhaustion. Now, Tarrant regretted that he didn't take that break to talk to Allison like she wanted him to.

Allison.

He leapt up, opening the closet that was originally reserved for The Alice. A beautiful array of dresses hung over to the right. He grabbed the first one and felt the fabric.

_Hopefully she would be satisifed with this. I had just begun working on it earlier this morning. I just wish I had more time to finish it..._

Placing the dress on a rack, he let his arms hang loosely at his side. He'd never hesitated to work on a dress before, so why now? He had never been fresh out of Ideas...

"Hatter?"

"Allison!" he exclaimed, flinging the dress in the closet and closing it. "I mean, Alice!"

"Either one is fine," she said, swaying back and forth. "So..."

"So?"

"So, can I see it?" she asked, full of Curiousity.

"See what?"

She giggled, walking slowly towards him. "You know what I mean."

"No, I don't know what you mean..." he admitted truthfully, somewhat embarrassed at the closeness between them and clearly oblivious to the light blush on her cheeks.

She sighed and shook her head. "The dress," she groaned sarcastically.

"Oh!" he mentally slapped himself for being so absentminded. Her presence was starting to throw him off...

He shook his head vigorously. "Ah, yes, the dress...You see, I'm...I..."

"You want it to be a surprise?" she asked, suddenly enlightened with Excitement.

"Uh...yes!" announced the Hatter, deciding to go along with it. "Yes, it shall be a surprise. I mean, not that it isn't a surprise until you see it. But I always wanted..."

"Hatter."

"Fez...thank you," he replied calmly, smiling.

"Pleasure's all mine,"she said, leaving out the room. He swore he could hear her skipping the down the stairs.

Tarrant let out a sigh he never knew he held. Going back to the closet, he took out the dress and began to smooth it out, regretting that he threw it in so hastily. Placing it back on the rack, he stepped backwards, hand on chin, pondering over anything he could do to make the dress pop. He had to make sure that it fit her, flowing as she walked.

Flowing.

He smiled infectiously, laughing as he plucked the dress off the hanger and laid it across the work bench. Grabbing a small length of fabric, he began to work feverishly on the hem of the dress.

_To pass the time, I'm going to think of things that begin with letter "L."_

_Loyal._

_Lucky._

_Lucious._

His smile got even wider.

_Love._

* * *

"Stop squirmin'! Ye'll make things worse!"

"Why did you even agree to help me get ready?"

"Believe mae, lass. Aye don't even understand maeself."

Allison huffed and stayed as still as she possibly could as Mallykun pinned up her hair using...pins. She happen to have a stash of them at her disposal due to the fact that she had her own sword. Of course, Allison only wondered why she had so many. Her Thoughts then drifted to the ball later that night.

_I absolutely despised balls. Especially the one that was for my supposed engagement to Hamish Ascot._

_Ascot._

The book she was reading before she arrived...

Harry's last name was Ascot.

Could they be...

"OW!" Allison yelped, leaning forward.

"Aye told ye tae kept yer head straeght!" the dormouse complained. "Wha' is i' wit' ye?"

"I had another Thought," Allison admitted.

"Aye don't mind tha'," Mallymkun said, climbing higher on the woman's head. "Not tha' Aye'm not Concerned. Just try tae pay attention so ye won't get stuck!"

Allison said nothing in response. Mallymkun huffed in satisfaction and scurried downward, landing on the woman's shoulder. "There ye go. Ye can open yer eyes now."

Doing just that, Allison's eyes widened at her hair, which was arranged in an updo of sorts. "This is my...hairstyle?"

The dormouse sighed. "Stop assumin' before ye know. Don't Worry. Aye know wha' Aye'm doin'."

Allison raised an eyebrow, smirking. Noticing this, the dormouse playfully scoffed. "Ah, what do ye know?"

An comfortable silence settled between them. Allison turned towards her new friend. "Mallymkun, do you love Tarrant?"

"Time 'as silenced those feelin's, lass," the dormouse admitted. "They're still ther', bu' Aye can't push 'im to love mae. I' no longer hurts to see who he really 'as feelin's for."

Hearing this, Allison started to fidget. "And who may that be?"

Mallymkun blinked, smiling.

"You'll see, lass. You'll see."


	16. Chapter 15: In Pieces

**Yea! I has updated! *squeals* I just got a TV in my bedroom, so whenever my inspiration well runs dry, I can watch AiW! * squeals again* So, hopefully you enjoy this chapter because everything speeds up from here on!**

**James Birdsong: :)**

**DragonRose4: Thank you! I shall correct those sentences ASAP!**

**SinuousFun-Keeper of innocence: Yeah, you could say that. Don't worry, I'm not someone who wants to kill Alice off just for the heck of it.**

**Phoenixica24: And let's hope that I get her to remember everything soon! Thanks!**

**Mii-chan1991: *hugs* Thanks so much!**

* * *

"Be careful with that!"

"She must not be harmed!"

"Mmmmm..."

Allison opened her eyes and noticed that she was rocking back and forth slightly. Opening them further, she noticed she was in a dark forest that had barely any sunlight streaming through the branches. Moving as it seemed...

She gasped slightly as the previous events came crashing onto her like a ton of bricks.

_No..._

She tried to move, only to realize she had been tied up. Opening her mouth to scream, she found she had been rendered speechless.

Allison squeezed her eyelids shut to stop oncoming tears.

She could remember everything so vividly now...

_"Allison...you look absolutely stunning!"_

_"Mallymkun said it wasn't done..."_

_"Well, you look stunning nonetheless, my dear," Mirana said, nodding._

_"Do you know if the Hatter is done with my dress?" Allison asked. "I haven't seen him since this morning..."_

_"He should be by now," answered Mirana. "The servants have been delivering plenty of outfits all afternoon..."_

_She seemed to notice Allison's fidgeting and smiled warmly. "Could it be that you fancy Tarrant?"_

_Allison's face seemed to heat up and she shook her head furiously. "No! No! I'm..I'm just wondering..if it's done..that's all..."_

_The White Queen smiled, seeing through Allisons' poorly raised facade. They then heard the door close on the other side of the room._

_"I'm sorry...I didn't know that you weren't completely...dressed," a familiar voice said, voicing his concern. "Alice, that is..."_

_"It's fine, Larland," Mirana replied, slightly chuckling at the fact that both him and Allison were embarrassed. "Was there anything that you needed?"_

_"Tarrant sent me to tell you that Allison's dress should be ready," he announced. "A servant should be coming up with it in a moment."_

_"Thank you, Larland," Allison remarked._

_"...You're welcome."_

_His footsteps were heard descending the stairway. The door opened again to reveal Mallymkun in a little outfit of her own. It was crimson red ballgown with a small (but large for the dormouse) diamond tied around the waist._

_"That looks absolutely adorable!" Allison gushed. Mallymkun shrugged. "Eh, it's no' all tha' much."_

_"It's beautiful, Mallymkun," the White Queen agreed._

_"No' as beautiful as Allison's dress is goin' tae be," the dormouse replied, turning around. The room fell silent, both women wondering if she was resentful in anyway. The door opened and a maid entered the room. She laid a package on the bed and excused herself. After a few minutes, Allison leapt up, rushing over to the bedside, and forced herself not to rip the package into shreds._

_"Oh...my," Mirana uttered._

* * *

_"Thank you so much, Mr. Hatter!"_

_"You've made me feel young again!"_

_"Tarrant, this is extaordinary!"_

_"I will definitely request your hatting services again, Mr. Hightopp."_

_Tarrant found himself surrounded by his previous clients, all who were in eternal thanks of everything he did for them. The Ball had barely even begun and the small orchestra that Mirana had hired was already playing some overture music. All the guests seemed be patiently waiting for the White Queen's arrival._

_And Allison's._

_The Hatter could hardly contain his excitement when he wrapped up her dress earlier. Now, he was just anxious to see her in it...or at least her reaction._

_And with every passing moment, it was getting harder to keep his Thoughts on other things._

_Gladly, he wasn't in normal attire either for tonight. He had created a little ensemble of his own. It was quite simple, really. He took the blue single-breasted suit that he wore from the Frabjous Day, cleaned it up, replacing his signature bowtie with a large white one, which barely concealed a silver vest, which embellished a white button-down. The ribbon on his hat was white was well._

_The crowd's attention was turned to the staircase._

_His breath was nearly caught in his throat..._

_Until he saw that it was Mirana, dressed in her usual attire, except her hair was adorned with a crown of white flowers atop her head. Everyone bowed before her feet even touched the floor. She then turned around towards the staircase herself and a collective gasp could be heard emerging from the crowd._

_Not even Stayne (who was currently in a disguise) could stop himself from joining in._

_Tarrant found himself smiling so widely that it rivaled even Chessur's. He unconsciously stepped closer to the railing._

_Allison, who was seemingly nervous, slowly walked closer to the top of the staircase. The dress that the Hatter created for her fitted perfectly. It was of a light blue satin. The top was ruffled in white lace that wrapped around her shoulders. The corset was outlined in white and was tied in the back. The skirt of the dress flared out into a line of three ruffled rows of white and blue lace. She wore white fingerless gloves that were decorated in a plethora of floral designs and as an offset to the dress, small black buttons lined the entire front. Her hair was full of curls that were tightest at the bottom, small flowers peeking out here and there._

_Mallymkun was humorously seated daintily upon her head._

_The young woman slowly descended into the room, shaken by the fact that all eyes were on her._

_Then she felt a presence behind her._

_"It's alright, lass," the Hatter said quietly._

_Mirana bowed in front of her and turned towards the crowd. "Citizens of Underland, I give you, Allison Kingsley, our Guest of Honor!"_

_Applause radiated from the other guests. Allison's posture relaxed and she smiled, seemingly beaming from the warm welcome. Tarrant tapped her on the shoulder and bowed once she turned to face him. "May I?"_

* * *

_"Are you alright, dear?"_

_Allison turned around to see Mirana. "Oh, Mi-I mean, Your Majesty. I'm.. I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from the activity and all."_

_"Do you need to rest?" The White Queen asked._

_"Please, I'm good," Allison admitted, smiling. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time!"_

_Mirana sighed out of relief. "I was beginning to think we were boring you..."_

_"I've never been to a party like...like this," the young woman started, sitting in a nearby chair. "I mean, in the Abovelands, the parties and things are lots of fun, but you never know what to expect here! I never danced with so many men in my life! That were willing...that is..."_

_"Still waiting for someone...specific to ask you?" The White Queen asked, a smirk forming on her face._

_Allison blushed and looked away. "Not...not anyone in particular."_

_"I am the Queen," Mirana announced. "I could arrange something for you."_

_"Don't worry," remarked Allison. "It's fine, really."_

_"Excuse me." Both ladies turned to see Larland, who was currently has his hand outstretched towards Allison. "May I have a dance with the guest of honor if you don't mind?"_

_"I wouldn't mind at all," the young woman said, putting her hand in his. He then led her to the center of the ballroom. The White Queen only shook her head, not noticing the shadow looming behind her._

_"For one to ask that question, you'd probably need to wonder about it yourself."_

_"Why are you saying this?" Mirana asked, automatically recognizing the voice behind her._

_"Because I haven't seen you dance at all this entire night," Stayne replied. "And it's only half over."_

_"Is it an invitation then?"_

_"Hardly," he said. "I'm just surprised that no one noticed it. You are the Queen."_

_Mirana said nothing. "I'm just trying to keep the mood up. I don't want Alice Worrying about anything..."_

_"While you are?"_

_She sighed. "You have an excellent point." She extended her elbow. "Just one will do."_

_"Is it an invitation then?"_

_"Hardly," she answered, smirking. "I'm just surprised you even noticed."_

_She felt a rather long arm slip through hers._

_Meanwhile, Allison curtsied the best that she could and decided to remove herself from the crowd. As much as she liked dancing with Larland, somehow, she felt that she needed some air. After wandering the castle for a few minutes, she found herself at the balcony. She leaned over the railing, marveling at the night sky that loomed over her._

_"Clearing your head?"_

_The young woman almost jumped at the voice and whipped around, only to see The Hatter, his hat in his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you, lass."_

_"I'm sorry," she quickly replied, embarrassed. "It just felt so crowded in there."_

_"I see," he said quietly, coming towards the railing._

_"...Um...I never got to thank you, for the dress...that is..."_

_"Think nothing of it, love!" Tarrant exclaimed. "You are Alice. I would do anything for you, even if it means my life."_

_Allison blushed deeply and hugged herself. "Thank you, Hatter."_

_"Is something the matter?" he asked, seemingly concerned._

_"Oh no, I'm fine," she said, rubbing her arms._

_"You're cold."_

_"It's okay, I'm just..." She felt a coat being placed across her shoulders._

_"You're cold," he repeated quietly, leaning on the railing._

_"I guess I am."_

_A comfortable silence went between them. The music's tempo (and tune) changed from a fast-paced, allegro to a soothing, adagio one._

_"Do you know the Lobster Quadrille, love?"_

_"Do I know the what? she asked, quickly facing him._

_He laughed. "The Lobster Quadrille."_

_"...Is it, like, a dance that's...popular around here?"_

_"For songs like this, yes!" The Hatter, exclaimed. "It's an absolutely wonderful dance for very special occasions and yes, you don't need only lobsters to teach you! Even though they did invent it and I have no idea how or who was the first one to learn, but..."_

_"Hatter."_

_"Fez...thanks, love."_

_"You're welcome," she replied, smiling._

_He outstretched a gloved hand towards hers. "Would you care to join me?"_

_"In what?" she asked. "Oh! You mean, the Lobster...Qua..the..."_

_"Yes," he replied, smiling at her clumsiness._

_She automatically blushed, nodding and placing her hand in his. He slowly pulled her close to him and putting his hand on her waist, began to lead her in the dance._

_"You know, this is usually done at sea," he began , twirling her slowly. "But not everyone lives at sea, so the lobsters had to adapt it for the rest of Underland."_

_"Oh, really?" Allison asked, curious. "What was the original like?"_

_"You scoffed!" he exclaimed, causing her to giggle."Anyway, it is usually done with two lines and involves quite a bit of swimming and the changing of partners and such. Not that anyone minded, but you know of the naysayers and things who always have to complain and worry about these matters...of course, you don't...but as I was saying...finally, the Black King of Underland, Mirana's father, ordered to have the lobsters brought to castle and for them to perform it without the Sea. Of course, they had no way of doing that, so they danced, creating new steps along the way. And thus...well, I can't think of anything else to end this with."_

_"It's fine, Hatter," she replied. "I don't think I would enjoy being tossed about in sea, anyway. I like this better."_

_"I thought you would, lass," he replied, dipping her. She nearly gasped out of surprise, quickly leaning into him once they came back up. They remained that way for the rest of the song. Finally, she started to pull away, but instead found herself looking at his face instead. He slowly started to close the distance between them until..._

_"NOW!"_

_A loud, bird-like shriek was heard in the distance._

_Suddenly, Allison felt herself being torn away from Tarrant._

_Then she was falling, out of thin air almost._

_Everything seemed to go in slow motion._

_She expected her body to smash against the ground, lifeless..._

_Only to be snatched up again._

_As she hung upside down, Allison looked up to see a large red and white striped bird, flapping its wings as it held onto her with its talons. They slowly descended and Allison was plopped onto the ground. Shaken from impact, she looked up to see..._

_A woman with an enormous head?_

_"The Red Queen," she muttered. Seemingly hearing this, Iracebeth turned around and smiled evilly. _

_That was more than enough to send Allison off and flying over the castle grounds, Iracebeth's voice screaming in the background. She eventually ran into the Bandersnatch, who, sensing the danger, growled, flicking his head towards his back. She understood, climbing on its back and preparing to hang for dear life as it reared up and started to run..._

_The ground suddenly became closer before hitting her in the face._

_Allison struggled to get up, realizing that she had been thrown off the creature. Behind her, the Bandersnatch struggled against the chains that it had suddenly gotten tangled in. They were being held by crimson-red card soldiers. A few then turned their attention to her and picked her up by the arms, her feet dragging the ground as they brought her back to Iracebeth. The young woman struggled, trying to get back on her feet so she could escape..._

_When she was dropped to the ground again._

_"How many times am I going to land on my butt before I can get out of here? !" she almost yelled, before seeing the reason why._

_Her eyes landed on Tarrant Hightopp as he brandished a sword, his eyes flaming blood red. He screamed in Outlandish as he attacked her kidnappers, slicing through both with ease. He struggled with the other two before finally disposing of them. Turning towards Allison, he slowly kneeled until they were face-to-face and enveloped her in a bear hug._

_"Tarrant!" she yelped._

_"It's okay, Alice," he coaxed, shushing her. "I'm here. I'll protect you..."_

_Releasing her, he helped Allison get to her feet. She smiled weakly, relieved for the moment._

_Until they were torn apart again as she was sent flying across the gardens. _

_"ALICE!" she heard the Hatter call as she felt herself being tossed back and forth between a set of paws. Finally, she was scooped up into the creature's mouth. She froze, expecting to be crushed between it's enormous jaws. The Red Queen approached her, leaning in towards her face._

_"Hello, Alice," she spat, emphasizing the name. Allison only remained silent as Iracebeth began to circle them. "It's been a long time, has it not?" the dastardly woman continued. "I see you've met my ally, William, who you are currently in the jaws of."_

_Allison almost gasped, but kept quiet out of fear. In the background, she could see the Hatter fighting with a couple of the Red Queen's soldiers. _

_"Iracebeth!"_

_The mentioned woman looked over Allison. The young woman craned her neck to barely see Mirana and her subjects out on the balcony. An army of white chess pieces emerged from the bushes and surrounded them. _

_"Release her," the White Queen commanded harshly. "Now."_

_"Why if it isn't my little sister," Iracebeth sneered. "It's been a couple of years since my banishment by, of course, you. And while you were sitting on my throne, I was able to direct a rebellion right under your nose. Pity how you don't pay attention to such things, hm?"_

_"I will not say it again, Iracebeth," growled Mirana._

_"You were never one to do that, Mirana," Iracebeth said. "You didn't have to, with everyone eating out of your hand. Well, soon, the tables will turn and you better hope that your head doesn't end up on a pedestal once the throne is returned to me."_

_"What does Allison have to do with that?"_

_"Everything," Iracebeth announced, smirking. "The Orachulum helps in many ways." She held up the scroll and let it roll onto the ground. "You never mentioned the possibility she would be kidnapped by me."_

_"That was never recorded..."_

_"That doesn't mean it can't happen!" Iracebeth snapped, whining. Allison rolled her eyes and looked up, finally seeing that she was trapped in the mouth of a lion..._

_The Lion?_

_"Now, if you excuse me..." Iracebeth started, turning around._

_The White Queen's army leapt towards their target, circling Iracebeth. Allison was dropped to the ground as the Lion tore through the crowd, growling and roaring as he went. The young woman was barely hit by a soldier as he was dashed into pieces. _

_"Run, Alice!" Tarrant yelled, still being held back some of the Red Queen's army. "Run!"_

_Allison obeyed and scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain where the Lion's teeth had gnawed into her flesh. She avoided barely avoided the card soldiers, sprinting towards the garden gate..._

_Suddenly, she crumbled onto the ground. She felt the gash that had suddenly appeared from the blow on the side of her head. _

_As the world around her faded away, the last thing she heard was of someone screaming her name._

_And the voice reminded her of Tarrant Hightopp._

* * *

**I hate action scenes! I was never too good at emphasizing what happens during battle. Maybe a little advice will do?**

**11/12/2011 Edit - Don't trash me for the name of the Lion, but if you look up the poem "The Lion and the Unicorn", you'll understand why I named him that.**

**And I thank Phoenixica24 for giving me advice on the action scene, so hopefully this one is a lot better.**


	17. Chapter 16: Broken

**I am back! Inspiration for every story I'm working on suddenly hit me like a tidal wave and I had to update!**

**madgirlsrock723:Thank you! **

**AIWLover:Thanks! Ikr?**

**Phoenixica24: Thank you so much for the advice! It helped me greatly in the previous chapter and a bit in this one, too!**

**H2olover: Thanks!**

**Kairi-loves-Sushi: Thank you so much! And I hope you're happy with this one!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned AiW...I probably would've done the same thing.**

* * *

"Hatta'?"

Mallymkun gulped as she slowly pushed the door open to his workshop. She crept in, expecting an even worse mess than when The Alice had left. Instead, she found the room devoid of color except for a couple of dull browns and reds. All the fabrics that were once strewn across the furniture in the room were stuffed into the closets. In another small room, a bundle was curled up on the bed, a green hat laying at the foot of it. The dormouse approached cautiously, having no idea what to expect, especially after what happened when Allison was kidnapped two nights before.

"Hatta'?" she asked again.

The bundle made no movement.

She climbed onto the bed and positioned herself behind its head. "Tarrant?"

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

"No one's eva been able tae figure tha' one ou', Hatta'," she admitted, sitting down.

He only curled further into himself. "I...I couldn't save her, Mally."

"It's no' yer fault," Mallymkun said, trying to reassure him.

"She slipped...right out of my reach," he moaned. "Just...just like...before."

"Thae only difference was tha' she was taken thi' time."

"It's the same, nonetheless," he retorted, a small edge to his voice.

Mallymkun sighed. "Hatta', it's no' yer fault..."

"Then whose is it, Mallymkun?" he asked, surprising her that his brogue hadn't appeared.

Yet.

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Larland slowly entered the room, head down, his hands wringing nervously. Surprisingly, the Hatter lifted his head, showing both that his eyes with an empty gray hue. A whisk of air was heard and Chessur materialized above the two, smiling ironically. Tarrant glared.

"Perfect."

"Who are you refering to, Tarrant? Me or Him?" The gray-blue tabby purred.

"Ye should know," The Hatter growled, hugging himself tighter.

*Ahem." All looked towards Larland who was still standing at the far side of the room. "Tarrant..."he started, seemingly nervous. "M-I mean, the White Queen, she has requested your presence. Immediately. All of you, that is."

"I' something th' matta'?" Mallymkun asked.

"It regards Allison," Larland said blalantly.

"A plan o' attack on tha' slurvish cur?" Tarrant asked, ready to do battle.

"I'm not entirely sure..." The white-haired servant only lowered his head and left. The others took this as a signal to follow him...

* * *

"Ah, I see you're finally awake."

Allison could only glare in defense as Iracebeth approached, a curt smile on her face.

"You're different from the other Alice," the Red Queen. "I was told that the Abovelanders didn't believe in places such as Underland. Dismissed as a mere fantasy once they became adults. Lost all their muchness by that time. But I guess I was wrong about you. As much as the Original. Their Alice...as they called her." She looked up, only to glance back at the young woman. "You should take that as a compliment, my dear."

The blonde only rolled her eyes in response. With a flick of Iracebeth's hand, she fell to the ground. Her legs gave out from under her and she crumpled into a kneeling stance. She was glad that she couldn't voice out her pain. A rope was attached to her hands and feet, all tied together with a lone rope, manned by Iracebeth. taking advantage of this, she yanked the ropes, forcing the young woman on her feet.

"No back talk," The red Queen sneered. "That's good. Of course, that is also my doing. The potion that rendered you speechless was a success, as it seems. Now, come along."

Allison stumbled along behind her during the trek. For the time being, the blonde figured she had plenty of time to analyze her situation. She was still in the dress from the other night, the hat nowhere to be found and the dress in shreds. Her hair was matted, caked with dirt and some dried-up blood on the left side from the large bruise on her head. She had no idea where her boots were, but was silently glad that she didn't have them, for they would made it much harder to move than it was already was.

The events of the night of her capture ran through her mind at warp speed. Unwrapping the dress and hat in her bedroom, descending the staircase to a standing ovation, dancing with Larland, nearly kissing the Hatter...if she could clutch at her chest she would. The ropes did well to prevent that.

Stumbling along, she closed her eyes to unshed tears. If only the Orachulum had "predicted" this...

Scratch that, she still would've been caught. It's better not to know, anyway.

"Psst."

Allison didn't notice.

"Psst!"

She, again, made no indication that she heard.

"Oy, lass!"

Out of irritation, she turned her head. A large feline-like creature with the head of an eagle who stared her straight in the eye.

"She's lost haer muchness tha' quick, eh?" a small voice said. "Shame."

Allison opened her mouth to respond, but quickly remembered that she couldn't say anything. A gray dormouse appeared on the creature's shoulder. He was about Mallymkun's size and wore what looked like incomplete knight's armor, only the shoulder pads and one boot remained. They barely covered the torn shirt and slacks that covered his body. A hatpin was inside of a spool of thread that hung on his back.

"Ye thoug' tha' was 'im?" He asked, pointing towards his companion. Allison only stared.

"Neva mind." The gray dormouse shrugged. "Assumin' ye's The Alice, if no' thee Original, thae name's Barlum. This haer's Grivlig." He referred to the eagle-lion hybrid who only nodded. "He doesn't talk much. Only says what he thinks is needed."

Allison only nodded. Not realizing that she had stopped, she nearly fell over when the tug of the rope pulled her along. Straightening herself back up, she continued to the silent "conversation" between them. Not really, since Barlum seemed to be doing all the talking.

The dormouse quickly slid down his friend's back and scurried along to her side, careful to avoid the card soldiers that surrounded her. Once he was on her shoulder, he continued, leaning into her ear.

"If ye want, we can help ye escape."

If Allison could scoff at the idea, she would. The only sound that came out of her mouth was a cough.

"Aye know," he said, seemlingly reading her mind. "Why woul' Aye be with thae Red Queen if Aye'm goin' to help ya? Believe me, lass, when yer own family sells ye ova to tha' Bluddy Behg Hid just tae save ther own hyde...ah, what am Aye sayin'? They neva cared abou' mae, anyway."

Allison continued to listen, making a mental note to ask about the insecurity in his voice when he talked about his family once she got her voice back.

"Salazen Grum," a low, deep voice rumbled, which Allison figured belonged to Grivlig.

A wretched, burning smell entered the air. Iracebeth must have been excited, for she started to nearly drag Allison along, forcing her to quicken her slow pace. Barlum covered his nose in disgust. The group stopped in front of what looked like a huge clearing, a large red desert.

* * *

Tarrant, Mallymkun, Chessur and the others were gathered in a large circle around The White Throne. Mirana, seemingly nervous, fidgeted with her hands nervously, her eyes darting left and right.

_How am I going to tell them?_

"Your Majesty," Mallymkun announced. " Ye said tha' ye wanted tae see us?"

The White Queen only nodded. "I have something to tell you..."

The air suddenly became uncomfortable, the guests unsure of Mirana's motives. The young woman only walked down the small set of stairs in front of her throne and headed towards a large window overlooking the gardens, Dusk peering over the horizon. She sighed heavily.

"It's fairly obvious that most of us knew of The Alice. Our Alice," she started. "The one that every one of us loved in our own ways, even you Mallymkun."

The dormouse only nodded to acknowledge the truth.

"She was strong from the beginning," Mirana replied, her voice starting to crack. "Even from the first time we saw her, she had one objective. It was always to return home. In some way or form. And she let nothing get in her way. Not a tea party. Being called a drawf..."

Stayne coughed and glanced at the others.

"...Nearly getting herself killed from a game of croquet. Getting chased and eventually befriended by the Bandersnatch. Even beheading a Jabberwocky. All she wanted to go home, even with the many opportunities to stay, her home pulled at her enough to where she had to return..."

Mirana placed her hands to her lips and coughed, blinking her eyes rapidly. Clearing her throat, she continued.

"She made a Promise to return...to all of us, even though she never knew when...but..."

The group seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

That's when Mirana completely broke down.

She crumbled to the floor, covering her face with her hands as she bawled loudly. Immediately, they rushed towards her, trying to comfort her in some way. After a few minutes, she exhaled loudly and shook her head furiously.

"Your Highness..." Stayne remarked quietly.

Her face stained with tears, she opened her mouth. "She never did," she sobbed. "And...never...will..."

Dead silence echoed throughout the Throne Room. Tarrant, surprisingly, was the first to speak. "What?"

Mirana gasped. "A soldier...he entered the Abovelands...undercover. I sent him there, just to see if maybe we could...convince her to return to Underland. But then he got a hold her journal...and her family history...and...and...at least 100 years have passed up there...since she left..."

"Oh, no," Mallymkun muttered, remembering the conversation she had with Allison when she first arrived. She looked at the Hatter, who seemed petrified by the current situation.

"She...she...Alice has passed on..." Mirana finally managed to get out between sobs.

Dead silence passed throughout the group. Finally, Thackery asked, "She's dead, isn't she?"

This was more than everyone could handle. The Tweedles embraced each other and started to cry loudly. Stayne only turned his face away, not crying, but embarrassed that he would be the least affected by her death. Mallymkun fought tears, trying to remain strong for Mirana, who refused to say anything more on the subject. Thackery eventually joined the Tweedles. Nivens, Chessur, Ullieam and Larland lowered their heads in condolence.

Tarrant seemed frozen.

He could even get himself to comment on the matter, the memories he shared with Alice flashing through his mind.

"Alice...D-dead..."he muttered quietly.

His Mind screamed while his Emotions flew out of control. His eyes flickering between colors, he could barely grasp Reality as his head spun. His legs gave out from under him and fell into a kneeling stance like a lifeless doll, his eyes turning devoid of every color except for a empty, seemingly endless black.

_"I'll miss you when I wake up."_

No.

___"All the best people are."_

No.

_"I'll be back before you know it!"_

No!

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly pulled everyone out of their Doldrums. Grasping the situation rather quickly, Mirana immediately took action.

"Hatter!" she screamed. The others began to follow suit, hoping that he could come to his senses as they called for him.

He could barely hear them as he started to take out his Anger on anything he could find. Curtains ripped from the bars, windows shattered, podiums smashed to the ground...

"Stayne! Larland! Subdue the Hatter before he descends any farther into his own Madness!" The White Queen ordered loudly. The others took refuge anywhere they could hide in the room, knowing that if they made a run for the door, Tarrant would see this and try to ravage the rest of the castle the best that he could.

Stayne immediately lunged forth, attacking Hatter at the waist. He was caught off guard when a fist launched backwards, breaking his nose. Ignoring the stream of blood that flowed over his mouth, he continued to struggle with the Hatter. The madman kicked, punched and screamed in Outlandish so horrid that the others could hardly bare to listen to it. The Knave of Hearts could barely keep his grip due to the onslaught he received.

Eventually, Tarrant was able to wriggle free and turned around, ready to attack an already battered and bruised Stayne even further, but was knocked to ground by Larland. The servant was kicked in the stomach multiple times as retaliated with his own punches to the Hatter's face as they rolled around on the floor.

Stayne, who was catching his breath, waited for an opening. Once Tarrant as positioned on top of Larland, ready to strike, he scurried up and pulled him off of Larland, grabbing him under the arms. The Hatter screamed once more, kicking and flailing wildly as he tried to free himself, but the Knave only held on even tighter.

Then, suddenly, he stopped.

Unsure of his mental state, Stayne held onto Tarrant as Larland approached both cautiously. Their attacker only hung limply in Stayne's arms. After a few minutes, quiet sobs were heard. Tears streamed down the Hatter's face and he was slowly lowered to the ground. Mirana slowly approached him. When she saw that he wouldn't retaliate, she kneeled in front of him, lifting his face in her hands and gasping slightly at what she saw.

"Wha' is i'?" Mallymkun squeaked.

"His Heart," Mirana announced quietly, allowing the Hatter's chin to hit his chest once more. "It's been Broken."

* * *

**BTW, Grivlig is not a griffin. He walks on his hind legs and his entire body from the shoulders down is that of a lion's.**


	18. Chapter 17: Bound

**Diana Fay: Let's hope so!  
**

**Kairi-loves-Sushi: Thanks! These two are going appear quite a bit.  
**

**Hope Diamond: Thank you!  
**

**Disclaimer: I haven't even gone to Disneyland yet. *sulks*  
**

* * *

"Here we are."

Allison could hardly stand the stench that penetrated her nose. She silently wished she had something like a gag to cover her mouth. It would've been better than being rendered speechless.

In front of them was what looked like the burned remains of a large, majestic building. Curved pieces of stone, dead bushes and large pieces of wood were scattered about. Surrounding it was a moat full of indistinguishable objects, which were, when Allison was pulled closer, heads. She turned away from the horrid sight. This woman was worse than she thought.

Across the small lake were a couple more of her card soldiers. Noticing Iracebeth, they took a large plank of wood and began to push it over the water. Her other subjects pulled it to the other side.

As they crossed the makeshift bridge, Allison couldn't help but think of the others. Were they looking for her? Was Stayne the cause of all this? Did they even care?

The young woman was led through the ruins to a fairly small, cave-like structure. A door partly hung of the hinges on the opening, bars on the open window. Allison cringed from the smell, but somehow the stench was familiar...

Suddenly, she felt herself being thrust inside. Landing on the ground with a soft thud, she looked up, only to see the door close behind her. A distinctive click was heard.

"That should keep you," she heard Iracebeth sneer. "I wouldn't want you spoiling the surprise of your eventual demise, dear."

Allison struggled to get up, only to realize her hands and feet were still bound together and stumbled onto the ground. Sitting up, she managed to put her face in her hands. Tears slowly made their way between her fingertips as she cried silently, succumbing to fate.

"Now, 'ow are we gonna ge' ya ou' if ye actin' like tha', lass?"

She removed her hands to see Barlum on the ground before her, arms crossed. She smiled slightly, due to the fact that he reminded her of a male version of Mallymkun.

"Didn't ye hear mae?" he asked.

She nodded. Her ability to speak hadn't returned yet.

"Ye need ta believe in yerself, " he replied. "If tha' Orachulum was righ', ye supposed tae be tha' one ta defea' the Red Queen. Bu' ye can't in this condition."

Allison rolled her eyes, silently revealing that she already knew.

Barlum only sighed heavily and shook his head. "Wha' happened anyway? Ho' di' they make ye loss your muchness so quickly?

Allison huffed. She could hardly believe that he asked her this question.

"Ye no' supposed tae answer tha'," he pointed out, receiving another sigh in response.

* * *

"A Broken 'eart. Of all things..."

Mirana could only nod as the little dormouse paced back and forth. "The possibility that Alice would still come back. He may have held onto that without us knowing, despite the Doubt that Time gave him from their argument."

"Your Majesty!"

Both turned to see a rook soldier running towards them. He bowed as soon as he was in front of The White Queen. "The Knights would like to know your decision on whether to declare war on Iracebeth..."

"Without even knowing her position?" Mirana nearly snapped.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he replied, bowing even lower.

Realizing her mistake, Mirana only sighed. "No, I'm sorry. Tell them I will arrive shortly."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Rook said, immediately getting up and heading back into the castle.

Mirana sighed and shook her head, stroking the Bandersnatch's fur as it, too, grieved Allison's kidnapping. That was the one thing she hated about the Oraculum. It told of each and every day but not each and every event.

A Broken Heart was not something to be taken lightly. In fact, it was one of the main things that drove Iracebeth to take the crown from Mirana, due to the fact that the Red King had fallen for her. It occurred to many in both Lands, but had a more devastating effect on Underlandians. Not that someone taking their life in the Abovelands wasn't devastating. But if you had a Broken Heart in Underlandian, if a cure wasn't found fast, you were driven into the depths of Madness. Once completely Lost, you were best left alone, for no one knew what you were capable in that state.

And due to the fact that Tarrant was always Mad and nearly lost himself to his own Madness before Allison arrived, it nearly doubled his descent.

After a while, she decided to go on and have an audience with the general. While strolling through the audience chamber, Mirana was met by the sight of Stayne descending the stairs, seemingly shaken.

"How is he?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"He's beginning to have Illusions," Stayne answered, stopping in front of her. "Obviously, he believes that he's at the tea table when she appears. He holds a small conversation with her and then gets Madder and Madder until he's ranting in Outlandish. I stopped him from doing anything rash, but it goes on further and further each time."

"Then we don't have much time," Mirana stated. Seeing that she had nothing else to do, she turned to continue her trek to the Throne Room to discuss a plan of attack with the General.

"Your Majesty."

"Yes, Stayne?" she asked, stopping.

"Whatever your decision," he announced, bowing deeply. "I will support you fully. Even into battle.

Mirana raised an eyebrow, completely caught off guard by his statement. "Thank you, Stayne. In reality, I think anyone's support will be helpful in this situation. Would you accompany me to The White Throne? I have an audience with the Knights and your...expertise would be of great help at this time."

It was Stayne's turn to be surprised.

* * *

Nightfall had descended upon Underland. Allison curled into herself, shivering from the cold. Barlum had left some time ago, allowing her to get some well-needed sleep. She had just received another "visit" from Iracebeth, who let her know that she had some "plans" for her in the next couple of days. Whatever they were, judging from the sinister smile on her face, Allison wasn't going to like them.

A distant click was heard and Allison noticed Grivlig enter the cave, a blanket draped over his right arm. Closing the door, he immediately set upon covering her with it. She was internally grateful for the warmth and cursed herself for not being having recovered her voice. He sat down next to her.

"Iracebeth wouldn't have allowed me to do this if I didn't convince her that you needed to be...alive, for her to carry out her plans," he started. "I have no inkling of what they contain, but, if Time allows and I'm in her presence when she reveals them, I will make sure to relate them to you as soon as possible."

Allison nodded, revealing she was listening.

"Barlum didn't accompany me in case we would raise too much suspicion. But he convinced a few others to help us carry out the escape plans. Our best bet is for them to commence tomorrow night. Tonight would be too risky and we need to study the guards' strategy just enough to let you by. We'd hope that we'd all would escape, but our main purpose is for you to get out alive..."

He stopped, noticing the concerned expression on her face.

"I have my Doubts about this as well, but I will willingly give my life for yours. You see, I never met The Alice in my lifetime, but I've heard Stories and Tales about her bravery, muchness, beauty...and it pained me to hear that she passed away before she could return. My condolences to her closest friends, especially the Hatter. I would've been greatly honored to have met her, but Time didn't permit this I guess. I'm not blaming him for her death, though. Time tends to be a rather cocky fellow, but he truly cares for others."

He paused before continuing, seemingly giving her time to let it sink in. But before he could, Iracebeth's voice rang across the desolate ruins. He quickly rose and walked towards the door, stopping before opening it.

"If you need anything, the post that Iracebeth gave me circles this area. Just wait. You'll see me."

* * *

"Please, Chess," Mallymkun begged.

"You're the only one who can get in there without disturbing him," pleaded the White Queen.

Looking around the group, the cat nodded and disappeared. He arrived in the Hatter's room a moment later, only to see that everything was completely...

Colorless.

Dull.

Neat.

Anything un-Hatter like.

The clothes that used to cover the floor were neatly hung up in the closets. Hats were neatly stacked the workdesk and besides the clothes, everything seemed to retain a dull brownish color. The cat's eye then landed on a small streak of blue peeking out from one the closets. Evaporating and materializing inside of it, he was nearly blow away by the sight.

All of the outfits that the Hatter had made for Alice, from dresses to petticoats, were ripped, torn or completely demolished. The entire closet was in chaos. The grey-blue tabby shook his head and dematerialized back into the room.

Where he finally saw the Hatter.

He looked exactly like he did when The Alice had finally returned to Underland. His hat sat over his eyes, hand were folded neatly across his chest and he was sitting back on the chair. His clothes, however, were almost completely devoid of color, the same brown as the room. He was muttering to himself, but other than that he was completely still. The Cheshire Cat made no movement, unsure of whether or not he had noticed his presence.

Tarrant stirred slightly, lifting his head. He made no indication he noticed that someone else was in the room, rising slowly, lumbering as if he had been drugged. The Hatter's eyes let Chess know of the turmoil he had been in. They were, again, an empty gray, seemingly staring into space.

He slumped onto the floor, leaning forward slightly, arms draped to the floor.

The cat shook his head. He wanted to give a word of comfort, but in this state, Tarrant could lash out, screaming until he literally fell asleep out of Sadness.

Standing up, the Hatter began to gesture wildly, speaking to himself, tears streaming down his face. He stopped, slowly lifting his hands to head until he touched his hat. Then in a flurry of movement, he throw the chapeau onto the ground and rose his foot, ready to destroy his most famous creation. Before he could even touch it, it suddenly moved out of the way. In a rage, he chased it around the room, not knowing the very one watching him was the only one preventing him from committing this vile act. Finally, he collapsed to floor. The hat slowly lowered in front of him, floating as it seemed, before Chessur finally revealed himself from underneath it.

"What's wrong with you, Tarrant?" he asked, his voice echoing the same question he asked five years ago.

"...She promised..."

"We all know she did."

"Wha' are ye doin' here anyways?" he asked, the brogue slowly rising in his voice. " Aye could rip ye to shreds..."

"But you haven't already," Chessur admitted. "Even when I took your lovely hat..." The Hatter said nothing in response.

"Everything was for...nothing..."

"Well, now it is," Chessur said a bit too sarcastically."And have you forgotten about Allison? The 'An Alice' who remembered Underland without ever coming?"

Tarrant stirred slightly, lifting his head. "Why?"

"If I remember correctly, she was kidnapped just three nights ago."

"I know that."

"Well, why don't you go and rescue her? You gladly gave yourself up for...Your Alice, as you say."

The Hatter said nothing. Obviously, Chessur's words were getting to him.

"Still..."

"What?"

"How can you talk so calmly about her? About Alice? You...I bet you weren't even moved when heard of her..." He seemingly struggled to say the next word. "...death..."

Chessur said nothing, pondering on his next words. "It hasn't even been a full day yet. And you should know me, Tarrant. Just because I usually don't get involved in others' affairs doesn't mean I don't care for them. And if you remember correctly, I was the one who lead her to you. The first, not the second. And besides, she's still here."

"What are you saying?" Tarrant asked, emptiness in his voice.

"Alice has returned to Underland," The cat said, disappearing slowly. "You just need to open your eyes in order to realize that it's her."

* * *

**This chapter is probably a bit more filler than it should be. Which means the great escape plot begins next!**


	19. Chapter 18: Time Has A Funny Way

**To think I wrote most of this in the student union at college...anyway, my creativity has left ever since I got my laptop, so I'm going to start designating a time for me to get off the computer and do other stuff, especially spending time with people. This thing is usurping my free time, so I need a limit on it anyway,. Endless hours of anime are starting to wear me down...**

**Yes, I did start college. Yes, that does mean my schedule will be off and on. But I'm still writing these.**

**James Birdsong: Thank you!**

**Tigerkitty: And the chance has finally come! Thanks!**

**MaddAlice: Shall I fulfill your addiction with another chapter? Heh, heh. *evil smile***

**Disclaimer: When the heck is the musical gonna come out? Nope, I don't own that either... *sobs*  
**

* * *

"Frozen?"

"In Time?"

"Is that even possible your Majesty?"

"Yes, you insignificant curs! Yes! It's the only way to get rid of Alice."

Iracebeth paced back and forth in front of her subjects. They were in a secluded area, devoid of sunlight which barely filtered through the rocks and trees. She believed that they were safe from any listening ears.

Or so they thought.

Barlum peeked his head out from behind a tree branch. Despite the fact that Grivilig was the only other ally who was allowed to attend this meeting, the dormouse stowed away just in case someone else was needed to inform Allison of the Red Queen's plans.

"My...former husband used to do it to criminals convicted of the most heinous crimes."

"But how are we going to convince Time to even..."

"I have my own ways of doing that," Iracebeth chuckled. "Besides, Time still isn't convinced that Allison is The Alice, one of her descendants. So if we can convince him that she is a fake, he'll let us borrow The Hourglass."

Barlum gulped. A collective murmuring seemed to follow.

"You doubt my abilities?" Her eyes glimmered with anger. The crowd immediately went silent, turning their attention on her.

"Good," she replied, smiling evilly. "Now, I need someone who knows time personally. Perhaps we could convince the fellow the let us borrow this artifact. And then all my problems shall be over. Mirana's new champion will be finished, and there will be no one to stand in my way of taking back MY crown. Any traitors...well, you know. It will be rather hard to see anything when your brain has been lost, won't it?"

The group's faces turned a deadly white, including Grivlig.

"I see that you all agree with me. The plan will proceed as follows..."

* * *

"We shall move out in four days."

"Four days?" The General asked. Mirana nodded.

"This will allow ample time for us to prepare," Stayne announced, not expecting for the generals to stare at him. "As she said."

"That's true," Mirana stated plainly. "Prepare the troops. We move out on the Twilig Day at Early Dawn."

The generals immediately bowed in respect. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

One by one, they filed out the room. Once the door closed behind them, Mirana collapsed into her throne, head in her hands.

"I may be intruding Your Majesty, but somehow you look very unladylike," Stayne said, his voice sounding normal for the first time since his capture.

"I know," she groaned. "The Death of Our Alice has been weighing on my Mind. The Kidnapping of The Alice is even worse. Who knows what Iracebeth is planning to do to her. And then the Hatter...he seems to be recovering, but has unnervingly dull since his conversation with Chess. *sigh* You're the only one who doesn't seem to be affected by all this..."

"But I am," he responded, sitting on the steps.

"Who so?"

"Just yesterday, I was talking with Mallymkun about her aversion towards me and she related to me everything I had done, including my allegiance to Iracebeth. I also reminded me of this...incident when I tried to seduce Your...Our Alice..."

Mirana's head jerked up, causing Stayne to jump slightly. "What?"

"I'm not saying I don't regret anything. In fact, after Pondering on it, for the first time since my capture, I found myself regretting what I had done in the past. Your offering of a position here in Mamoreal...I should've taken it at the start. But the lore of conquest and possibly ruling as King, as she had promised, pulled at me until I finally gave in. I became...hardened towards others, so I felt no emotion until the Alice had arrived and I saw her in the flesh. When I was banished to the Outlands, I realized just how horrible my Life had become in that one moment and wanted out so much that I asked you to kill me. I prefered and still would, prefer Death to seeing her again. And the day when I escaped, Iracebeth grabbed a hold of a rock and flung it at me. I guessed she had stormed off, for when I came to, I was completely alone, with no Memory except for my name and a couple of other things. Including you. I wandered around until finally I was able to arrive in Tugley Wood and the last thing I remember before coming here was the Hatter's tea table. I guess what I'm trying to say is, all of you, especially you, helped me to see who I had become. A heartless monster for my own benefit, not of others. Alice and Allison didn't come here by choice, but both were never ones to back down from their Path or allow anyone to stand in their way. And the Alice, she was the one who made me apologize for actions I didn't even remember. I just wish I was able to reach her in time when she was kidnapped. And my Heart went out when I learned the Our Alice had died and that she was an ancestor of Allison. "

Mirana's tear stained face showed no emotion.

"In other words...thank you, that is." He replied, rubbing his neck. "And another thing. I would like to request to lead one of the units of your army. It would be an honor to serve under the White Queen." The former Knave bowed deeply.

Mirana's eyes widened and she blushed inadvertently. "Um...thank you. Actually, I don't think..."

"What?"

"What I mean is, I wouldn't object. I will see to it as soon as possible, Ilosovic." She smiled warmly, nearly causing his breath to catch in his throat.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he almost blurted, looking up to meet her gaze. They locked eyes, staring at each other for what seemed like forever until...

"Your Highness..." a familiar voice called as it was followed by the opening of a door. Immediately, Stayne turned around and Mirana straightened up as Larland entered the room. "If you are not busy, I would like to request an audience with you, personally."

"That will be fine," Mirana replied, trying to hide her shock. "Stayne, you may go."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." He immediately set on leaving the room as quickly possible, closing the door behind him.

"Now," Mirana sighed, trying to regain her composure. "What did you want to talk about?"

* * *

"Alice!"

"Alice!"

"..."

"Wake up, ye great lug! Wake up!"

Allison's eyes popped open only to Barlum staring her in the face, his face lined with clear panic. Grivlig closed the door to her "cell" and turned his back towards her, keeping watch.

"Can ye speak yet, lass?" Barlum asked.

Allison opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was a delicate squeak. She blushed, somewhat embarrassed. Barlum shook his head ,slightly amused. "That's good. You should have your voice back in about a day or so."

Allison smiled, slightly relived. Barlum huffed and approached her. "Bu' tha's not all lass. The Red Queen is...*low tone* she is plannin' tae use Tha Hourglass on ye."

Her puzzled expression let him know she needed more information. "This artifact is 'eld in tha 'ands o' Time. I's been rumored tae 'ave been used on convicted creeminals by tha lat' Re' King, bu' since The Alice vanquished tha Jabberwocky, there 'asn't been much o' a use fo' it anymore. I' 'as tha ability tae freeze someone, suspend them i' Time indefinitely. When i' fills up, tha's tha'. They're done."

Allison's blank expression quickly changed to frightened one once she understood what he meant.

"Tha' makes mae silently gla' ye don't 'ave yer voice bac' yet..." the dormouse admitted. "Bu' don't worry, tha's why we're 'elping ye tae escape. Tonight."

Allison smiled again, still showing that she was afraid. The dormouse grinned. "Don't worry, lass. We'll get ye ou'. Even i' we don't escape ourselves, ye'll be safe."

She shook her head and nodded towards him, seemingly indicating that she didn't want them to get killed.

"I's sorry if i' comes to tha'," he said gravely. "Bu' it's every Underlandian's duty to make sure An Alice is safe, even at the cost of their life."

The 20-year-old shook her head furiously. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't. Barlum sighed, giving up...until Allison nudged him slightly with her elbow. She nodded, despite the fact that she was on the verge of tears, she wanted to go through with it.

She just wished she didn't have to be the reason so many lives were at stake.

* * *

"All clear."

"Alright, then. I'll turn in for the night. Make sure she doesn't escape."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The large grey and black bear bowed in respect and stood at attention. Once she had entered her quarters, he began to circle a rather large perimeter around her area. After two rounds, he headed in another direction, seemingly looking conspicuous until he arrived at a very familiar pile of rock. A black crow, seemingly out of nowhere, came to perch on his shoulder.

"You ready?"

The bear nodded. "I have few scouts out. They'll let me know whether or it will safe to cross during the Cards' rounds. Remember your duty?"

"Fresh in my memory."

The bird then squeezed between the bars of the small door that enclosed the shack. Lumbering over to the sleeping girl, he nudged her with his beak.

"Come on, cricket. It's time to go."

She made no movement. He nudged her again, only to rouse her slightly from her sleep. Finally, he positioned his beak in front of her eye. Immediately, they popped open. The crow jumped back. "You're awake. Barlum must have told you." She only nodded. The bird flew back to the door. "Quietly, now. We don't want them catching on. Come on."

A clicking sound seemingly resounded in the night as Grivlig slowly opened the door. The woman tiptoed out from behind it, extremely cautious about her surroundings. Grivlig and the bear stood on both sides and began to escort her towards the north of the ruins. Both gave her shawl and she tied it around her neck, covering her face with a makeshift hood.

They then began their trek across the camp. The first two guards were relatively easy to pass. The circumference of their area was rather large, so the group could tag along behind at a safe distance as they walked. A trio of aces paced back and forth, alternating as they they got closer to the gardens. The crow gave a loud caw, attracting their attention and leading them away from the area, allowing the rest to pass. The girl looked up int the direction he had flew, but Grivlig whispered that he would return. Losing them in the forest would take a few minutes.

Barlum lead the way this time, being able to scamper ahead without getting caught. He would observe the soldiers for about a minute or so before giving them an idea of how their post was set up, allowing them to out-maneuver them even if they suspected something. In all, everyone was firaly easy to avoid and the blonde's spirits lifted each time they got closer to the moat.

That's when they took a wrong turn.

About 20 feet away from the makeshift bridge slept the Lion, snoring silently.

Everyone froze.

Barlum forced down a gasp. This was the one thing they didn't count on in their plan. How would they get past such a creature...

The girl took off what remained of her shoes and flung them as hard as she could into the forest. The large feline stirred and turned towards the small _thud_ they made when they landed. As it left its resting place, the crow took to flight and flew through the trees, arousing the creature's curiosity even more. He growled slightly and crept into the trees. Once they were sure he was gone, Barlum scampered across the plank, the girl padding silently behind breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the Red Desert Sand, smiling brightly at the dormouse.

That's when Iracebeth starting to scream bloody murder.

She knew.

Immediately the camp was in an uproar over the "escaped prisoner." Grivlig ran across the moat. "You three go on," the bear remarked in a gravely voice. "We'll divert their attention long enough to let you escape."

Allison beckoned with her arms, silently saying that she wanted them to come with her. They only shook their heads.

"Go," the crow repeated. "We'll try and follow later." With that he flew off. The bear followed soon after. Grivlig ushered Allison into a small, but concealable clump of trees, where they would wait until the commotion had died down.

* * *

**And we all know who's missing, but in the next chapter he will be there. :) And did I ever yell you guys that I have Sims 2 versions of some of these charries? Guess which!**


	20. Chapter 19: Memories

**Nothing much to say except that I got really busy with college and such. But I have Spring Break next week. W00t! Early update maybe?**

**Tigerkitty86: Thank you! Thank you!**

******Hope Diamond: Thanks!**

**Imagenary 26: Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!**

**Disclaimer: I tried to watch this in 3D on my computer once. My glasses didn't work. T^T**

* * *

"We'll be here if ye need us, Hatta'."

Again, silence.

Exiting the room, Mallymkun only looked up at Mirana and shrugged before entering her outstretched palms. As they quietly headed downstairs, Tarrant only listened until he could hear their footsteps no more. He quickly rose and sat down in front of his workdesk, which was now neat and tidy, unlike the cluttered way it was a couple of days ago. He grabbed a top hat and began to work on it, his hands slowly twirling the fabric as it was laced into the headpiece. Again, unlike the way his hands were flying out of love for his work a couple of days ago. The creation would turn out beautiful, but not as beautiful as usual.

The machine slowed down until it completely stopped. Tarrant simply stood over his desk, frozen in emotion.

He never thought his Heart would be Broken. Not even when The Alice left.

But he couldn't cry anymore muchness left. No Anger.

Just Emptiness.

But Madder than ever. And sinking ever deeper, very, very slowly.

_"Alice has returned to Underland. You just need to open your eyes in order to realize that it's her."_

Surprisingly, that was the one statement that kept him from descending even faster. He seemed to be holding on to a small piece of Hope.

Alice would never return, yet, she was here all this time.

The idea Boggled him. How was it possible? Is this what Alice meant when she said, "Be back before you know it?" Surely, not. Not even Time expected another Alice to come. But still...

Tarrant sat and held his head in his hands. He wished Chessur had never even visited him. He wished he had let him destroy his most prized possession so he wouldn't even have to think about these things. He could just forget it all.

But he knew that even if he did that, he would never forget. It would always haunt him in the back of his Mind, taunting him as it seemed with Illusions, not just of Alice but Allison herself. The night they shared on the balcony...

"Nothing was ever accomplished with tears."

The Hatter whipped around, only to see the blue butterfly fluttering through the air before landing on the workdesk. His surprised expression soon turned to one of anger.

"YOU!"

Tarrant lunged forth, trying to crush the insect who simply floated above of him effortlessly. Picking himself up off the ground, the Hatter grabbed a couple of pins and flung them at Absolem, intending to pin him on the ceiling. Again, he missed and the insect simply landed on the milliner's nose.

"You know I'm telling the truth."

"A' ye knew tha whole time!" bellowed Tarrant, slapping himself in the face as tried to catch Absolem. "Ye knew that Alice was dea'! Why didn't ye tell anyone?" !"

"But I did..." Absolem admitted. "Mirana."

"...Then why..."

"She never believed it herself." The insect settled himself on the unfinished hat. "Why do you it was such a shock for her to see that it was true?"

Seemingly taken aback by the statement, the Hatter huffed.

"She never told you because of this. The very thing that is happening now."

The man said nothing in response, crossing his arms and slumping back into his chair.

"And sitting there sulking is not going to solve the problem," Absolem stated plainly.

"Aye suppose ye kno' wha' ae do," Tarrant growled, contemplating whether or not to attack again.

"It is not I who needs to know even though I do. It's you."

With that, he flew off, effortlessly leaving the room through the still ajar door. The Hatter simply stayed in the same position, brooding. After a few minutes, he reached into one of his coat pockets, pulling out a small strip of blue fabric. Closing his eyes and placing it to his lips, he began to Think...

* * *

"Perhaps we should rest."

"Jus' whe' Aye'm ready to get back started? !"

"She's tired."

"...Ye 'ave a point there..."

Allison huffed and leaned against a large, ominous tree. Not that she was afraid, however. They were now in Tugley Wood. Grivilig estimated that if they traveled at a reasonable pace that would arrive at Mamoreal at daybreak or maybe even that night if they moved quick enough. Now that Iracebeth knew of her escape, they had almost no choice but to move quickly and stay in the shadows. Twiggly and Beverick could only do so much to distract them...

The young woman slid down the tree trunk and slumped onto the ground, trying to take in the small moment of reprise that they had at the moment. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she had to kill the very creature that helped in her capture a couple of days ago. She would try and confide in her newfound friends, but her voice was still recovering and she could barely make out words to properly communicate.

Barlum, seemingly noticing her disdain, trotted over and plopped down beside her. "Something botherin' ye, cricket?"

Allison only nodded, silently telling him that she still couldn't speak.

"Thinkin' about tha Orachulum? 'ow ye 'ave tae defea' Benjamin?"

She only sighed.

"Somethin' else then?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "A lover, perhaps?"

She only blushed and cupped her face in her hands, looking away. Barlum chuckled. Allison started to draw in the dirt in front of her, writing out the word "family" and drawing a picture of a hat.

"Ye belong tae a family of 'atters?" She only smiled and shook her head furiously, drawing a line between the two and heart by the hat.

"Ye are a 'atter?"

Allison sighed and simply stared at him.

"I think what she's trying to say is that she is in love with a hatter. And that she misses her family as well," Grivlig rumbled nearby. "Considering they are from Above. Except for the Hatter, of course."

"so, ye miss ye family an' ye in love with a 'at...ye in love the 'atter?" he asked, surprised. "THEE 'atter? Mad 'atter? As in Tarrant Hightopp?" The dormouse raised an eyebrow at her. After a few minutes, she nodded slightly.

"...So Mallymkun gave up on 'im, eh?"

Allison turned towards him, somewhat confused.

"Ah, Aye'm just checkin'," he said, somewhat uncomfortably. Allison smirked, indicating that she may have understood his intentions. Once he realized this, Barlum only blushed and looked away, embarrassed.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, he sighed and turned around. "She's an old friend. That's i'." The young woman only smiled even more. Getting irritated, the dormouse placed his hands on his hips and huffed. "Is there somethin' wrong with fancing 'er?"

She only shook her head and squealed a bit. Drawing in the dirt once more, she asked how he got to be allied with the Red Queen. Barlum frowned and slumped onto the ground. "Aye knew you'd ask tha' sooner or later. But Aye wasn't sold."

She leaned towards him, indicating her interest.

"Aye sacrificed myself for 'em," he started after some time of silence. "We were sleepin' and Aye woke up. Aye don't know 'ow. Aye just felt somethin' was wrong. Tha's whe' Aye heard someone approaching. So Aye climbed up 'n tha trees and saw the Bludy Bghd Hid comin' our way. So, Aye went and woke up the whole family n' everyone got away just fine. Bu' tha only way to keep them from getting discovered was to remain ou' n' tha open. Aye didn't object when they captured mae. Aye knew tha' Aye had to long strong, or Aye may give that family away." He wiped at his snout, looking away. "Ye don't 'ave to cry for mae, lass."

Allison, despite the tears streaming down her face, raised an eyebrow seemingly questioning whether or not he was doing the same thing.

"Come on." Both jumped, surprised at the urgency in Grivlig's voice. "I hear someone coming."

Lifting her up with one hand, they allowed Allison a few seconds to steady herself before continuing their brisk walk. This didn't last too long, however, for Allison tripped over a stray root and stumbled over, tumbling as she went. She could herself getting hit by small branches, rocks and other things as she rolled. Eventually, she suddenly felt as is she was lifted into the air, given the comfortable, but short-lived sensation of flying, before crashing into the ground. She groaned, aching in the newfound pain that surfaced only moments after. A scurry of feet let her know that Barlum and Grivlig had arrived and although they were almost silent, talked among themselves about accessing to her injuries. Barlum then nudged her a few times and she, slowly opened her eyes, seeing that she rolled off a small cliff. Hence her descent.

"Alice, Alice, are you alrigh'?" Barlum asked quietly, his voice filled with worry. She shook her head. Grivlig slowly picked her up and leaned her against a nearby tree that was enclosed by a few larger ones and some bushes, ensuring that they would not be discovered easily.

"Barlum, how good are you in accessing wounds?" Grivlig asked after a minutes.

"Not too well." The dormouse shook his head. "Unless we find someone soon...who is willing to help us and is not in any affiliated with the Red Queen...we'll be at Mamoreal by tomorrow evening and by then, the Red Queen may have already found us."

As they discussed their current plight, they had no idea that Allison was currently in a trance-like state. Memories flowed through her mind at warp speed as she tried to get a grip back on Reality, her injuries not helping in the slightest. In her Mind, it seemed as if she were on a never-ending staircase, trying desperately to find a way out. She continued onwards, eventually going faster and faster, until she broke out into a run, trying to convince herself that it wasn't hopeless. That she could leave this state of Madness...

Madness.

How did she know...

And suddenly the staircase disintegrated. But as she fell, she couldn't find herself to scream. It seemed to soothe her as she descended slowly through the large, black void that surrounded her. She closed her eyes, staring to hear voices...

_A large blue dodo bird dressed in a red vest...  
_

_"You'd think she'd remember all this from the first time."_

_"Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Uilleam, Royal Messenger and Deliverer to the White Queen."_

___A disappearing cat with the widest of grins...  
_

_"Thee Alice?"_

_"I never get involved in politics."_

_"Goodbye, Sweet Hat."_

_"You really are an Alice. You have her fierceness as well as her looks."_

_"If I could just ask one question. Do you believe that this is a dream?"_

_A proper, gentlemanly but cowardly rabbit who served one of the queens...  
_

_"She's the right one. I'm certain of it."_

_"Light blue seems to be your color...well, you are an Alice after all."  
_

_____A dormouse who almost lived in a teapot...and shared an affection for a strange man...  
_

_____"She's not the right Alice!"_

_____"I'm rescuin' tha 'atta!"_

_____"Don't ye mean Mad, lassie?"_

_____"Ye really are 'The Alice'. Even if ye not Ours."_

_______Twin boys with the oddest ways of speaking. They reminded me of the Chattaways..._

_____"I'm Tweedledee and he's Tweedledum."_

_____"Contrariwise, I'm Tweedledum and he's Tweedledee."_

_____"No other slayer no how."_

_____"If it ain't Alice, it ain't dead."_

_____"But I thought Alice was younger!"_

_____"No, this is Alice, but it's not Alice, ye see. It's Allison, An Alice, but not Thee Alice."_

_____"Oh."  
_

_____ A hare who threw things at you whenever you came and went..._

_____"Let's take her to White Queen! She'll be safe there!"_

_____"Ye late for yer soup, de Gullium!"_

_____"Aye think your Mind be's catchin' up now, 'specially wit' tha way ye said tha'!" _

_A blue caterpillar who knew everyone even when they didn't know themselves...  
_

_"In fact, you're almost her, now. You're Almost Alice."_

_"Alice-At-Last."_

_"Whether you're The Alice or An Alice, you still dimwitted, stupid girl."_

___A dastardly man dressed in knight's armor. He tried to tempt me once..._

_"And who is this lovely creature?"_

_"Arrest that girl for unlawful seduction!"_

_"__I hope you can forgive me. I will subject myself to whatever punishment that the Queen puts upon me."_  


_A beautiful monarch with white hair, large eyes and black lips. She had a sister..._

_"But when a champion rises to slay the Jabberwocky, the people will rise against her."_

_"You have our everlasting gratitude."_

___"Allison...you look absolutely stunning!"_

___"Still waiting for someone...specific to ask you?"_

_____A short, obnoxious woman with red hair atop her enormous head. I believe she was a queen..._

_____"My girl. Anyone with a head that large is welcome in my court."_

_____"It is my crown! I am the eldest!"  
_

_______"It's been a long time, has it not?"_

_____ "But I guess I was wrong about you. As much as the Original. Their Alice...as they called her."_

_A hatter with the most outrageous red hair and brightest green eyes you've ever seen..._

_"You're Absolutely Alice. I'd know you anywhere."_

_"Do you have any idea why a Raven is like a writing desk?"_

_"I'm frightened. I don't like it in here. It's terribly crowded. Do you think I've gone mad?"_

_"Yes, but you'd have to be half-Mad to dream me up."_

___"You are Alice. I would do anything for you, even if it means my life."_

___The most whimsical, colorful, enchanting place that I've ever seen. It's real. And it's called Underland...  
_

"*gasp!*"

"Alice!"

"Alice, are you alright?"

"Barlum! Grivlig!" she exclaimed, surprising them and enveloping them in a bear hug. " I remember now! I remember everything!"

"Wha' are ye talkin' abo', lass?" Barlum asked once he could wriggle his face free from behind her arm.

"My great-grandmother was Thee Alice! Alice Kingsleigh! She was here! And she wrote a book-a journal- about her dreams about her adventures in Underland! Everything makes sense now! I read that book before coming here! And I had all these Memories..."

"Alice! Slow down!" Barlum laughed. "Aye can't even' understand what ye sayin'!"

"Wait."

"What is it-"

Grivlig immediately shushed them.

"I hear something coming."

The other two quickly camouflaged themselves behind the bushes. The sound got louder and louder until it stopped right in front of them, still hidden from view. Allison, feeling brave, poked her head from behind them only to see a tall, majestic, white...

Unicorn.

Seemingly noticing her, she spoke.

"Well, Aye'm no' goin' tae sparkle i' tha's wha' ye want."

* * *

**The scene where Allison is falling is supposed to go by very quickly. Much like a barrage of voices. Anywho, review?**


	21. Chapter 20: Benjamine

**Hey, guys! I'm back!**

***dodges rotten food*  
**

**Okay! Okay! I got it! It's been about-what-three months since I've last updated? Yeah, I know.  
**

**Anyways, I'm sorry. Really sorry. College suddenly pressed down on me. HARD. And I lost a lot of inspiration for my stories and artwork for a while. In May, when I finally got out, I still had no idea where this story was going and almost gave up on it.  
**

**Almost. I said.  
**

**This is a bit more filler than I expected and went a totally different direction than when I first planned. *note to self: Start finishing more chapters before you post so that it won't take so long to update.*  
**

**So, here I am in Chicago on vacay with my fam...well, let's just say my sister...we're visiting family and just got back from a waterpark...  
**

**Okay, enough about my life. Let's go on with the chapter. Like I said, I wanted to be done earlier. And from now on, I'm not going to make any more promises due to my erratic schedule.  
**

**Alice J. Nightshade: Aaahhh! OMG! Thank you so much! It's people like you that keep me inspired. Anyways, strangely enough, I haven't read the whole book series. But I drew inspiration from the books (online), both the Disney movies and other fanfics from the site (I was here a LONG time before I finally decided to start posting stories).  
**

**Tigerkitty86: Thanks!  
**

**Neelh: ...Thank you? No, really. I have no idea if this is a compliment or not.  
**

**Hope Diamond: *gives virtual cookies* Thank you!  
**

**Disclaimer: I wish.  
**

* * *

"Well, aren't ye goin' tae do anythin' other tha' stare, lass?"

"Oh...I'm sorry," Allison quickly muttered, gaining a smile from her new companion. She cringed as she felt the leaves press up against her arm, the sting letting her know how effective the cure was.

"I'm sorry abou' this," the creature continued. "I thou' we'd be more common 'n the Abovelands."

"Most think you're this legendary creature of myth..." Allison replied.

"Myth?" the female unicorn asked. "Maybe. Legendary? Aye wouldn' consider myself tha'. Bu' Aye 'm quite flattered."

Allison could only nod as she continued treating her.

As it turns out, Benjamine, which was the name of the unicorn, was an old friend of both Grivlig and Barlum and was against the Red Queen since she began her reign. Before the queens ruled jointly, however, she was cast to the Outlands because of a misunderstanding by the Black King. This is also where her hatred towards William began, for it was his fault she got banished in the first place and ever since then, they've been "battling" for the crown so to speak. Sadly, she wasn't always successful, hence the multiple wounds that were barely visible all over her body. She was released from captivity right after the Frabjous Day and had been traveling the stretch of Underland ever since.

Allison straightened up as the homemade medicine that Benjamine had created was rubbed on her arm by Grivlig. Despite the fact that Benjamine didn't have magical capabilities, she was a healer, so at least that part of their myth ran true. She just had to have someone else administer it, but she couldn't trust just anyone.

"So, ye escaped the Red Queen's clutches, eh cricket?"

Allison nodded. "It was their doing. Risking their lives to save me..."

"I' was yer ancestor who slayed the Jabberwocky," Benjamine replied, standing up. "All the citizens owe their everlastin' gratitude. Well, almost all o' them..." She smirked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Grivlig helped the blonde to her feet.

"Pu' 'er up on my back," Benjamine said.

"I can walk just fine..."Allison began.

"Even so, ye need tae heal," Benjamine interrupted, kneeling. "We also need tae move a bit quicker. We're no' takin' a chance o' getting' caugh'. "

Nodding her head in agreement, Allison slowly lifted herself up onto the unicorn's back. Once she was balanced, she felt Benjamine slowly rise as not to disturb her. She then began a steady trot, heading deeper and deeper into Tugley Wood.

"Now, as ye wer' sayin', Alice," Barlum began as he rode on Grivlig's shoulder. "Wha' is i' tha' ye were screeching abou' earlier?"

* * *

"Their heads will roll for this!"

The red-haired tyrant paced back and forth in front of her subjects, not noticing the frightened looks on some of their faces. Once she turned towards them, the expressions disappeared.

"So, none of you saw or noticed them escaping from the camp?"

The group shook their heads in unison.

"No direction of where they went?"

Same answer.

Seemingly not convinced, Iracebeth snapped her fingers. Two cards wheeled over a large hourglass, filled with a clear liquid. Gulps of worry quietly resounded throughout the crowd.

"If any of you are lying..." She tapped the glass, smiling devilishly. No one made a sound, unsure of what to say.

"William..."

The lion lifted his head from his resting place, his dark eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of unrest and fidgeting.

A black figure moved.

Leaping immediately from his spot, the Lion nearly plowed through the crowd that hurriedly made way for him, stopping only a few feet from Beverick and Twiggly.

"Did you see them escape?" he rumbled

"No." Beverick bravely answered, almost straining to stare the large creature straight in the eye. The feline growled, beginning to circle the two.

"And you?"

Twiggly only shook his head, keeping his eyes trained on the Lion as he surveyed their body language.

"You were at the edge of the camp, looking off into the distance." He sat right in front of the pair. "And you didn't see anything?"

Beverick only glared. "No."

He felt himself flying across the clearing and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Barely having enough time to move, he surprisingly dodged the next paw swipe as it smashed against the ground.

"You're lying!" William roared, rearing back to pounce on the bear once again. Beverick readied himself for battle, his claws unsheathing. Twiggly hovered besides his head.

"And if you're preparing yourself to stand up against me," the Lion growled, eyes trained on Beverick. "You just proved my statement."

And so the battle began. William lunged at Beverick, not expecting to completely miss his target as the animal rolled out of the way. Taking the opportunity, he hurled himself at his much larger opponent, knocking him completely off guard. The Lion then shoved him aside, growling as the bear landed on his feet.

"Twiggly, go," he commanded in a quiet, but firm voice. The black crow shook his head as he hovered beside his friend. "I'm not leaving you in the paws of that creature."

"I'm not saying this for you safety," Beverick said, carefully watching the giant feline pace back and forth. "I'm saying this for The Alice's. You must go."

"I don't think that my flying off by myself will help convince them of having the ability to defeat this adversary," the bird nearly snapped.

"Twiggly, please." Beverick prepared himself as the Lion readied to pounce. "You know of what the Orachulum has said. I'd prefer not to tell you this myself, but only one of us can escape alive and warn the others. And I'd rather that it be you."

The crow shook his head once more. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground, surprised by Beverick's sudden strike. William only studied them, observing their situation with keen interest.

"I'm not telling you."

Knowing that his friend was persistent and that there was almost no time left, Twiggly whispered, "Promise me that you will live."

"I cannot promise," Beverick growled gravely. "I can only try. Tell Benjamine that I'm sorry."

"…Was it you?" Iracebeth had somehow appeared behind them, a considerable distance away. Twiggly simply stood there as Beverick didn't move, seemingly waiting for his potential fate. After a few minutes, her face suddenly became sinister.

"Kill them."

And with that, the bird was off, soaring over the treetops just before William's claws tore through his feathers. Right before they pierced through the flesh of his companion's.

"That is all, Tarrant. Thank you."

* * *

The Hatter bowed deeply. "My pleasure, Your Highness." And with that, he spun on his heel and headed out the throne room, not noticing as Mirana's expression dropped as he left. Once he was gone, she sighed. Chessur's word had had a great effect on him, that's for sure. But she could still see the sadness in his eyes, for a tint of blue circled the rims of his irises. Sometimes, even yellow. Strangely enough, the only ones who noticed were the ones closest to him. And they also saw that it was getting harder and harder for him to put up a front of Calmness every day. Sighing, she rose and glided over to a nearby window. With only a day left before her army moved out, her Hope that Allison would be found soon was growing dim. The White Queen knew that once Iracebeth lost something that she stop at nothing to get it back and would take any measures to do so.

Mirana shuddered. The thought of Allison losing her life at the hands of her sister frightened her. But, at the same time, she admitted to herself that it wasn't so farfetched. And if it had already happened...

The woman shook her head. If she started Worrying again...

A sudden _thump_ pulled her out of her Thoughts. Looking up, she noticed a black crow preening his feathers outside the very window that she was just gazing out of. Opening the window, Mirana watched as he flew to the ground and curtsied with a flick of his wing.

"...Twiggly? Is that..."

"It is, Your Majesty," he says. "It has been a long while, has it not?"

"I agree," she replied, nodding and kneeling down to his level. "It certainly has."

"Your Highness," the black crow began, ruffling his feathers a bit. "I have the honor of informing you of the Alice's whereabouts."

Mirana's face immediately brightened. "You have?"

"Yes," Twiggly replied. "The Red Queen had her stationed at the Red Castle in Salazen Grum. Barlum, Grivlig, Beverick and I facilitated her escape. Iracebeth is planning to use the Hourglass on the Alice in order to take over Underland."

Mirana stiffened. "The Hourglass...Time wouldn't give it to just anyone..."

"I have just barely escaped from her clutches. As I speak, Beverick..." He lowered his head. "…when I escaped, he was engaging William in battle. I'm unsure of whether he survived or not…"

Mirana simply nodded, motioning for him to go on.

"More than likely, the Alice is not far from Mamoreal," Twiggly mentioned. "Unfortunately, the Red Queen already knows of this."

"*sigh* We may have to move out faster than I thought…" Mirana stood up, brushing off her gown. "Thank you very much, Twiggly. Is there anything else I need to be informed of?"

"Not that I know, Your Majesty," he admitted.

"Alright, then," she said, smiling sadly. "Welcome home."

"Thank you, Your Highness." With a flap of his wings, he flew out the window, settling somewhere in the gardens. Mirana smiled, even with Doubts flowing in her head.

* * *

Benjamine trotted slowly as night started to settle in Underland. Allison was now stretched out over her the length of her back, fighting off sleep. They currently on the outskirts on Tugley Wood, close to their destination. Flowers closed for the night and even the trees seemed to lean forward, making the forest seem deadlier than it already was.

"Just a little more, cricke'," Barlum reassured the sleepy blonde as he lay over Grivlig's shoulder. "We're almost there."

Allison only yawned in response, one arm hanging over Benjamine's side and the other as a makeshift resting place for her head.

"I just wish…that I didn't have to try and…"

"Don't talk abou' I', love," Benjamine said. "Aye don't want ye panickin' over something tha' seems impossible."

"But it is."

"Only if you believe is," Grivlig replied.

"Ho!"

A small figure emerged from the distance, floating on the breeze as it seemed. Eventually, Twiggly came into view, settling down on the ground in front of them.

"Benjamine!"

"Twiggly! I's good tae see you," the unicorn said. "Where's Beverick?"

"He's…He highly suggested that I leave him behind," the crow replied sadly. "He sacrificed himself as a way to distract William and buy you some time."

"Oh, no…"

"What happened?" questioned Allison, her eyes filled with considerable concern.

"The Red Queen interrogated her 'subjects' on the topic of your escape. Somehow, I'm not sure, by my straightening up myself, William…rather surprisingly, I might add, suspected me and Beverick. Eventually, things elevated to a point of battle between us and Beverick insisted that I go on…"

The other bowed their heads in shame as the impact of his words pressed upon them.

"Mamoreal is just ahead," he said, turning around. "I'll go and…"

Benjamine immediately leaped in front of the crow's flight path. "'ow can ye leave 'im like tha'? !" She bared her teeth as the bird."'ow?"

Twiggly bowed his head. "It's not like I wanted to, Benjamine. I tried to convince him that I was staying. He wouldn't have it. And he said that…he was sorry."

The unicorn simply stared at him in disbelief before finally sighing and raising her head. "Aye see…" She then continued her gait, slower due to her lowered mood.

"Were they close?" Allison asked.

"Very," Barlum replied. "They were engaged."

"Who goes there?"

The group stopped, obviously caught off guard by the booming voice. Barlum scurried off Grivlig's shoulder and dashed ahead, informing the owner of the voice of their predicament. Eventually, he came back with a couple of the White Queen's guards.

"Inform the queen!" a Knight ordered, watching as a Bishop hurried back to the castle. He nearly barged into the throne room, nearly frightening Mirana.

"Your Highness," he announced, lowering to his right knee. "Alice. She has returned."

* * *

**And with that, this chapter is done. Shall the battle begin the next chapter? We shall see.**


	22. Chapter 21: The Return

***Hangs head in shame and accepts the screams of irritation and fruits being thrown at her***

**I deserve everything you say about me. It's been too long since I've updated this and frankly, even I was getting tired of this story sitting dormant. Not only did I break my word, but I almost let this story go. Even after watching the movie in an effort to rekindle inspiration, I remained in a bout of writer's block, wondering just how I could pick this back up and get it back on its feet. This fic doesn't have that long to go, but that's no excuse for it to be abandoned and frankly, I don't want it to fall to the curse of never being updated again, like so many others before it. But even before I could try and hurry to push out of that block, college came and knocked me back down again. I had so many other ideas for this chapter, but somehow I couldn't get them to work and settled on this cliffhanger instead. I will now try and begin working overtime to finish this and to satisfy your longing for a better update schedule. But for now...**

**Onto reviews.**

**Alice J. Nightshade: You may come to cut my hands now. I really, REALLY did not want for you to wait this long. And for everyone else as well.**

**Neelh: Thank you.**

**James Birdsong: :)**

**Guest: :P**

**random person: Because it really isn't Alice. It's her descendant. Also, Alice is Allison's nickname.**

**Guest: Hey, it's no problem. But don't worry, I'm not someone who kills Alice off just for the heck of it. This is just the first idea for a fanfic that I thought would actually work. I support the main couple 100%.**

**FerretSong: Thank you so much. And I hope this chapter satisfies.**

**Moonlight-Dreaming: All that begging and it's finally here.**

**DragonRose4: Thanks!**

**I hope you guys can forgive me for the long hiatus that I never meant to induce.**

**Disclaimer: Need I say more?**

* * *

"Alice!"

"You're back!"

Allison awoke sleepily to the sounds of two identical twin voices announcing her return. The Tweedles grinned brightly at her as she slowly rode onto the castle grounds. Benjamine stopped and Grivlig slowly helped the young blonde on the ground. She hugged the boys almost immediately.

"See? I told ya she'd hug me first!" Tweedledee beamed once released.

"No, it was I who said so," retorted Tweedledum.

"I hugged both of you," Allison happily sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. The boys only smiled in response and nodded at each other. Offering each her hand, she allowed them to slowly escort her towards the main gardens. A small group was waiting for her at the front of the castle and she greeted everyone happily, feeling like a bit of a burden as they fussed over her. Mirana soon emerged and gave her a longing hug.

"Are you alright?" the Queen asked, letting go. Allison only nodded and smiled wearily, indicating that she was tired. McTwisp and Thackery both slowly lumbered over to her and she bent down, giving each a slow, meaningful scratch behind his ears. Standing up, she almost didn't notice Larland standing over to the side, looking away. Deciding to surprise him with a hug, she didn't expect for him to do the same with one of his own when she got close enough.

"I'm glad you're back," he admitted, pulling away slowly, his hands lingering on her shoulders. "I was worried about you."

"It's good to be back," she replied. "Thank you."

He gave her a small smile and stepped back. Taking this as the notion to go inside, Allison didn't even get the chance to take a step before she felt something nearly slam into her. After a few seconds, she finally registered that someone had enveloped her in a bear hug and was struggling not to cry.

"You're back," a familiar lisp whispered.

Immediately, Allison smiled and returned the hug eagerly. "I'm here."

A few minutes later, they finally pulled away, clasping hands as they did. The Hatter fought a smile, his blue eyes rimmed with tears.

"You ain't done yet, lassie," a familiar voice squeaked. Looking towards the source the voice, the blonde noticed the young dormouse sitting atop the brim of Tarrant's hat. Placing out her hand, she was greeted by the placing of Mally's paws atop her fingers.

"*Ahem." All heads turned to see Benjamine and the others. "Aye kno' tha' this I' touchin' n' everything, but Aye think a re-introduction woul' be nice."

* * *

"I see that your Memory returned, has it not?"

"Well, it seems that you already know that."

Absolem smiled.

Allison, on the other hand, didn't return the gesture. "That doesn't change anything, does it?"

"Only tomorrow can tell," Absolem mused.

Allison turned around, her hand clutching her chest. "I can't believe it's so close."

"And your destiny won't be fulfilled if you stop Believing."

"What do you mean by that?" she questioned, looking over her shoulder at the small creature.

"Only you should know that, stupid girl," the caterpillar said, blowing out smoke.

Allison said nothing, watching as the smoke enveloped him once more. She didn't notice Mirana approaching her from behind.

"Are you alright, Alice?" she asked, nearly alarming the young woman. Allison turned around and smiled a bit.

"I'm fine, now that I'm back," the blonde admitted. Mirana sent out a sigh of relief.

"We were all so worried, Alice," the White Queen sighed. "I never expected for that to happen. I was prepared to send out my entire army…But I guess I didn't need to since Benjamine and the others have brought you home safely."

"You'd still have to," Allison remarked. "Tomorrow…"

"Allison…I'm sorry that you have to go through this…"

"It's okay." The blonde only shook her head.

"You're not Our Champion, I will admit, " Mirana admitted, causing Allison's head to look up from its resting place on her chest. "But you are in her family lineage. You are an Alice and the Alice as much as she was."

"But she was able to fulfill her Destiny…" Allison hugged herself, uncomfortable with the subject. "How am I supposed to fulfill mine, if that's what it is?"

The White Queen placed her dainty hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Because you're an Alice."

"Somehow that doesn't seem that comforting…" Allison muttered.

"Alice, I'm sorry." Mirana stared hard into her eyes. "I truly am. But this is what will happen, whether we want it to or not. And eventually, we'll have to stop running. That's what I tried to do when I was chosen for the throne instead of my sister. And if I had kept on, I never would've come as far as I am now. You can't always run away from your problems. Eventually, you'll have to face up to them, no matter how Impossible they seem."

Allison said nothing, still reeling from the entire of weight of the burden that had been suddenly thrown upon her. Finally, she sighed and turned around.

"Thank you, Mirana," she nearly choked, trying to keep her voice under control. "I guess it's time I head to bed. I am rather tired."

"That's right," remarked the queen, catching on to Allison's motives. "You may as well rest up." She seemingly floated over towards the door that led from the outside to the inner quarters of the castle. "Good night, Alice."

Allison only nodded. It would be quite a while before she followed suit, though.

* * *

And an even longer one before she could finally rest.

Sitting up in her night gown, Allison slowly stood up and looked out the window that lit up her room with the moon light. A soft knock almost jolted her from her thoughts and the door was slowly opened a bit.

"May I come in?"

Before Allison could completely respond, the door moved to reveal the Hatter, wearing some rather colorful patchwork pajamas.

"If you would like me that is," he lisped.

"It's fine," she absentmindedly replied. "How did you know that I was up?"

"I didn't," he admitted, a small, sheepish smile appearing on his face. "I was finding it rather hard to sleep myself. I've just been waiting for the right moment to speak…to you. If you were awake, that is…"

"Thinking too much?"

"Why, yes. How did you know?"

"Happens in the Abovelands, too," she said, turning around to face him.

"…" The Hatter parted his lips, but some seconds past before something actually came out of them. "Are you…Have you…considered going back?"

"Well…I have to, don't I?" She hugged herself, not having given that topic much thought due to everything that she had been through over the past couple of days. "I mean…I can't just up and disappear…people might be worried about me...my family. Friends…things I have to settle first…"

"…That's exactly the reason why she left," Tarrant murmured, clearly voicing his sadness. "But she never came back…because she never remembered…she told me…that she wouldn't forget…"

"That's not true." His head snapped up out of disbelief.

"What?"

"She remembered," Allison remarked. "She remembered everything. She just never knew that she did…until…"

"…How?" the Hatter asked.

"She left behind a diary of all her dreams of Underland," Allison said, smiling a bit. "It was almost if…the pages were telling the story of her very last visit…every one continued where the last one left off. Finally, she wrote that she had hit her head and remembered everything and was planning on going back. Even said that she planned to give the journal to her son…but that's where it ended…"

"So, she kept her Promise…"

Allison nodded her head. The Hatter smiled a bit, seemingly relieved that the only other Alice that truly understood his Madness had not forgotten about him.

"…But…on the topic of staying…I never really thought about it. It would be wonderful…really…"

She didn't even notice her knees buckling until the Hatter caught her shaking form. Barely registering what had just happened, she allowed the tears to flow, babbling and apologizing constantly as she let out all her fears and misgivings in one fell swoop. Tarrant remained rather silent, rocking her gently as he stroked her disheveled locks, shushing her on occasion (even though it was almost to no avail).

Taking a deep breath, Allison struggled to quiet herself, her wails slowly turning into sobs. Eventually, she only stood there, tears streaming down her face only on occasion, wrapped up in the Hatter's warm embrace (and wondering just how long he could take this without snapping himself).

"Alice." She lifted her head slowly, aware that the silence had been broken.

"I wish that there was some way I could help," he said.

"You're already-" She was hushed with a finger to the lips.

"I'm not quite finished, cricket," he said, smiling a bit. "What I mean is, if I could, I would go in your place, just like I would've for her. I would gladly face that horrible, horrible beast, even die, just so you won't. But I can't. No matter how much I Wish, I simply can't. You have to be the one to perform this deed, even though I know you've never slayed a thing in your life, love. The Orachulum has already stated that the Red Queen's reign will come to an end…and it most likely will end by your own hand."

"But what about 'another'? Does that mean…a life as well?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"…Honestly, I don't know," he stated rather somberly. "But if it does, I sincerely hope that it will not be your own. I know you can do it, Alice. But you have to be the one that Believes you can. Even if it seems Impossible."

Allison opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the strength to reply. It seemed that her fate had been sealed. That she was the one to do battle with a ferocious animal and somehow win.

Impossible.

How could she say that after coming to this world through unbelievable means?

Was anything really?

* * *

"With The Hourglass in our possession, the battle is ours to be won," Iracebeth haughtily announced. "And my kingdom shall rise again! With plenty of heads to be dealt with, of course."

Her subjects seemed to agree in silence as they marched on, their faces hardened as their Minds and Emotions readied for battle internally.

"My sister seems to know of my arrival," she continued, particularly to no one. "I think I see a hill of white, approaching us. Well, that 'hill' is moving nonetheless."

Across from the battlefield, Mirana gulped.

She wasn't fearful for her life…

But without Allison, how could William be defeated? Only the Champion could prevail and anyone else…

She glanced over to the side of the horse she rode on. The Hatter marched on beside her, ready for his inevitable fate. She looked away, focusing on the Chess Field ahead. She didn't even want to think about it.

As she watched her younger sibling get closer, Iracebeth smiled. A familiar being of long, tangled blonde hair was not present in the crowd. The victory was sure to be hers. For without the Champion, the battle would be lost.

And Underland would be hers once again.

* * *

**Short, I know. But I'm setting the stage for...you just going to have to wait and see.**


	23. Chapter 22: Underland's New Champion

**Yes, finally! **

**And now to update my FN fanfic.**

******FerretSong: And forgoing formalities, thankies!**

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**Disclaimer: When the freak is that musical gonna come out?**

* * *

"On this, the Twilig Day, the Queens, Red and White, shall send forth their champions to do battle for the right of the throne and the rulership of Underland."

Bounding back over to the White Queen's side, McTwisp forced himself not to sigh. He knew the situation was a hopeless as ever with Allison not on the field, as the others all knew. But to show weakness in front of Iracebeth was to fuel her ever-growing, but deadly, sense of glee as the Queens approached each other as they had done traditionally.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Iracebeth growled, her words dripping with venom when she finally got close enough to Mirana. Her younger sibling only said nothing, ultimately dreading the fate of what was to come.

"Let's just get this over with," The White Queen finally said, raising her face to met Iracebeth's gaze.

"Let's," Iracebeth agreed, smirking even more. As she said that, William slowly lumbered over to her side and steadied himself on his hind legs, towering over the White Queen and looking as fearsome as ever. His head had been fitted with a helmet of sorts that came as far as his snout, in that shape of heart no less. A piece of armor had been fitted over his chest as a way to protect his heart. He watched as his opponent approached and took off his hat in a rather unorthodox fashion, flipping it in such a way that it landed perfectly upright on its brim. The Hatter showed no signs of fear as brandished his sword and held it out in front of him. By way of Mirana's concerns, he had on a breast-piece of his own that only went as far as his ribcage. He wore the same suit that he did on the Frabjous Day.

Taking a deep breath, Mirana slowly began to step away from Tarrant's side, as Iracebeth did with William, both knowing who the battle would belong to if Allison didn't arrive soon.

William then raised his voice in a battle roar, shaking the fields that surrounded him, and landed on his front paws. He and Tarrant began to circle each other, unsure of who would make the first move.

* * *

The armor stood upright on its base, held in a pose that reminded Underlandians of their former Champion.

Their Victor.

Their Savior.

Their Alice.

Allison felt like none of those at the moment.

She knew that she was supposed be there with the others on the battlefield, but she just couldn't get the image of her imagined death from her head. In her hands, she held her dress and belongings from the party. What would've happened if she had said yes to Harry's proposal? Would things be a lot different? Would she even be here? Would she had even met the citizens of Underland, particularly the Hatter?

So many questions…

Burying her face with the fabric, her ears perked up when she heard a small thump. By her feet sat Alice Kingsleigh's diary, unopened. Picking it up, she could only stare at it, wondering just how it arrived and even survived the ordeal that she had endured just before she had arrived. Opening it up, she began to thumb through the pages until a certain passage grabbed her attention.

**July 27**

_I was horrified. How would I be able to take down such a creature? A monstrous, horrible dragon-like creature at that. I had never held a sword in my life, nonetheless fought physically. But somehow everyone believed that I was the one…_

Allison skipped over a few pages.

**August 1**

_I'm still being regarded as the savior of this strange land. Why do they have so much faith in me to be able to do such a horrendous deed? The Hatter would have given himself for any Alice? At the time, I still didn't believe in myself. Or that this place was real. I mounted Bayard and we rode off towards Salazen Grum…_

**August 4**

_Was it only a dream? As of now, it was. But back then, that's what I firmly believed, despite the fact that I had complete control of my thoughts, my actions, but not of the environment around me. Even the Hatter, whom I had believed to be a figment of imagination. All of them believed in me. Why didn't I believe in myself?_

**August 7**

_The blue caterpillar, Absolem, why does he say such things? I'm not stupid! But then again, maybe I was in a way, but…it wasn't a dream as I believed it to be. I remembered and I remember as of now, my first arrival to this place as a child, calling it Wonderland. And somehow that affirmed in my heart that I could do anything, just like I had told Bayard (and somehow I'm starting to sound incredibly cliché). That I make the path. And with the vorpal sword in hand, I had to do what I couldn't…But I still had doubts within myself…_

"Wha' are ye doin, lass?"

The blonde nearly jumped and whipped around, noticing a familiar white unicorn approaching her.

"Benjamine!" Allison turned around. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were with the others."

"Tarrant made mae vow tha' Aye woul' watch ova' ye," the animal admitted.

"Why?"

"He's tha one goin' 'n yer place."

"But…he told me…." Allison stammered.

"If ye were ther' alongside tha Whi' Queen, then'e wouldn't 'ave done it," Benjamine said. "Someone 'as tae do battle whether tha Champion i' there or not. If not, tha one withou' a Champion automatically surrenders. An' Aye'm pretty sure wha' would 'appen if tha' were tae occur."

Allison turned around and looked out one of the windows of the throne room. "I know that I can't just stand here and do nothing. I just wonder how she did it…my great-grandmother Alice…"

"Maybe 't was wha' she di' before then," the unicorn replied. "Maybe by bein' stubborn an' settin' ou' 'er own way as she though' she was doin', she prepared 'erself withou' knowin' i'. She didn't want anyone pushin' 'er around anymore, so she se' ou' tae do wha' she couldn'."

"What she couldn't…"

* * *

Mallymkun couldn't take it anymore. Rushing forward, she clambered onto the back of the large creature that had almost crushed the face of her most trusted companion between his paws and jabbed her sword into his back. William let out a loud roar and thrashed around, trying to rid himself of the small, but irritating pain that had decided to plunge itself into him. Mallymkun held on for dear life to the sword, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Soon enough, Iracebeth had noticed.

"The dormouse's interfering! Off with her head!"

At this, Tarrant dodged William's gnashing of teeth and yelled for Mallymkun to release her grip on the weapon…

* * *

"Only if I believe it is."

Allison slowly slid her foot into the right boot of the armor. Fastening it to the upper half of the leg, she then slowly rose and steadied herself, the tight fitting armor not as clunky as she had expected.

"I still don't know if I can do this," Allison admitted, lifting the vorpal sword from its resting place.

"Ye'll neva know 'til ye do i'," Benjamine remarked. With Allison's help, her head was adorned in a simple but strong helmet that was fastened under her chin. The blonde only sighed and walked over to her side, sheathing the sword like she had seen so many times before. Together, they exited the throne room and headed to the audience hall.

"You're leaving?"

Allison turned to see Larland, decked out in armor of his own. He seemed bored as he sat at the bottom of the stairs that led to the upper chambers.

"The Hatter told you to stay as well." Larland only nodded in agreement.

"He felt that if anyone would provide you with the care and love that he wanted to show that it would be me, but…" The young man trailed off, looking away. "I know that you won't have me."

Allison straightened up at his confession.

"But it seems that something has changed," he continued, joining their side. "Is it alright that I join you two into the heat of the battle?"

"Yes, if I can withstand it," Allison said.

"Alright, then." Larland started to set out ahead of them. "The Bandersnatch has been waiting outside anxiously. He wouldn't leave without you…"

"Wait." Allison quickly changed her gait to catch up with him. Lifting up on her toes, she give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling a bit. "I wish that I could return your feelings."

"I know."

"But thank you. Both of you. I'm amazed that you put up with me."

"Well, i's no' like we weren't used tae i'," said Benajamine, more truthful than snarky.

* * *

"Look out, Your Majesty!"

The White Queen quickly ducked, used to the attempts on her life by now. She then slowly watched as the knight who had just shielded her crumbled to the ground at the same time as her attacker did. She could only stand there. Not because she wanted to. She was a Queen and wasn't allowed to participate in battle.

Tarrant was badly bruised now, his body lined with long, if not fatal, wounds that came from William's mighty claws. The Lion still stood as healthy as ever, even the few wounds that he had. She wanted so badly just to put the war to a permanent halt.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do but watch as her army fell. Despite being alike in tactics, Iracebeth's army had an unfair advantage thanks to the hulking creature that she persuaded to join her army.

And the other person who could change the tide of the war was absent due to her own misgivings.

Once again, the White Queen watched as the Hatter was knocked to the ground by another of William's strikes. The Lion placed a paw on the man's chest, lowering his face down to meet Tarrant's.

"If you surrender," the creature growled menacingly, just enough for him to hear. "I might just spare your life."

"I'd rather die," Tarrant replied wearily. Brandishing his sword, he take a swipe at the creature's right leg. Not enough to slice off the paw, but just enough to leave a gaping gash right above the ankle. Immediately, William cried out in pain, removing his paw in the process and allowing his prisoner to escape. Tarrant scrambled to his feet a safe distance away from his adversary, waiting for his next move despite knowing that he may not be able to block it.

"And with that," the Lion sneered, his voice heavy with pain. "You will."

* * *

"Faster, Benjamine!"

"Aye'm goin' as fast as Aye can!" The unicorn nearly snapped. "Aye'm no' like thos' beasts o' burden tha' ye're used tae, ye know!"

Benjamine was now galloping across Underland as fast as her legs could take her. The scenery was a blur to both of them now, but the creature knew every twist and turn as they hurried to the battlefield. Behind them, they could the Bandersnatch sprinting behind them, burrowing through the forest as if Larland wasn't even there. The mentioned man was on its back, hunched over as much as possible to avoid the flying debris that creature destroyed on its path.

All the while, Allison's heart raced. Would she get there in time to turn the battle around? If she did, could she?

Shaking her head furiously, she quickly ducked as Benjamine maneuvered under a large tree branch.

"Sorry," the unicorn nearly yelled, apparently aware that she nearly forgotten that she had a rider with her. Allison said nothing and focused on the path ahead as it sped by.

Then it happened.

A loud, deafening roar shook the land, almost immediately forcing them to a halt. Allison's heart welled up with fear, knowing just how close they were to the battle.

Benjamine, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes as her adversary's familiar call.

"Alice, ye 'ad betta' prepare yerself," she said, rearing up and breaking into a gallop. Barely having a chance to answer, Allison gripped the harness and flattened herself against the unicorn's back, her heart pounding faster with every hoof beat.

Soon, but not soon enough, a large chessboard came into view. Upon it, soldiers and creatures alike battled for dominance, the Kingdom, and their Queens. A large stone staircase stood near, spiraling into the sky, but stopping abruptly, finishing at a point.

And in the midst of it all, a familiar carrot-top was sprawled out on his back. The Lion was in front of him, pacing back and forth, seemingly deciding how to finish him off. Getting into position, he had barely began to make his move when they finally arrived, plowing through the crowds. Benjamine almost slid to a halt, taking a defiant stance against her rival. The large creature slowly turned around and growled, acknowledging her presence.

"Benjamine."

"William."

Glancing at his fallen opponent, he decided against killing him and turned towards Benjamine. By that time, Allison had leaped off the unicorn's back and was already by Tarrant's side, in turmoil over his condition.

"Hatter…"

"You…you came," he managed to say between staggered breaths.

"Yes, I did," Allison admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. Holding them back, she composed herself and continued, "I'm so sorry."

"No…it's alright," muttered Tarrant.

"You almost died!"

"And for you," he replied, turning his head towards her slowly. "I don't regret a thing."

Having nothing to say, Allison stroked his cheek, cradling his head in her arms. Mirana approached them, almost in disbelief that Allison had arrived.

"Please, can you do something for him?" she pleaded.

"…The only thing we can do is dress his wounds…nothing else until the battle is over," The White Queen remarked, begrudgingly. Allison only nodded.

Standing up, the young blonde turned to face the Red Queen, whose face was red with anger. Having nothing to say, the ex-monarch turned around and flicked her hand. William turned towards the young woman and began walking towards her, slowly as if to intimidate her. Benjamine quickly trotted inbetween them.

"No, I have to do this alone," Allison said, trying to mask her fear.

"No' without mae, yer not."

"But…"

"Ye can't do anything if ye don't Believe, Allison," Benjamine remarked, taking a step back.

"We won't do anything…to interfere," she heard Tarrant breathe. "But we will be here if ye need us, love. Even if we can't kill 'im ourselves."

"Then, with your help, I shall be the one to do it," Allison announced, unsheathing her sword. Then, turning around, she smiled a bit.

"Thank you."

* * *

**It has begun.**


	24. Chapter 23: And So Shall Another

**GAH!**

**Okay, I'm done.**

**Finito!**

**This chapter caused me "beep!"**

**But, anyways, I'm so glad that's it's done. **

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**Disclaimer: THEY. ARE. MAKING. A. SEQUEL. Why exactly?**

* * *

Ch. 23

"Mirana! Get down!"

As if on key, the monarch immediately scuttled out of the way at another attempt on her life. This time, however, her savior survived. The victor of the small skirmish that had resulted from his interference was none other than Stayne himself. Once he realized when he just said, however, he quickly bowed.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty" he said quickly, knowing that time was short. "It was slip of the tongue on my part."

"Whatever you call me is fine, Stayne," she responded. "Anything to get my attention, especially in this time and place."

"Then Mirana it is, then." He quickly leapt up and locked swords with another one of his would-be attacker. "HAH!"

* * *

She had no idea how to brandish a sword.

She hated the fact that the armor, despite its design, still slowed her movements.

She loathed the idea of having to fix this problem on her own.

But there was no backing down. She couldn't keep running away from everything that troubled her.

The Lion was eying her hungrily as they circled each other, his claws and her sword unsheathed. She kept her eyes on him, for she knew that once she turned around, it was all over.

Her heart was thumping so loudly that she swore that everyone around could hear it.

She couldn't be the one to make the first move.

And she wasn't.

Whether it was out of impatience or arrogance, she didn't know. What she did know was that William was coming. And fast. In a burst of fear, she strafed towards the right, narrowly avoiding the swipe of right paw. He growled as soon as he realized that he missed his target.

"You're rather wise for someone who has never been in battle," he sneered.

"I don't think it's wise make assumptions," she replied, sword in front.

Seemingly taking offense, her opponent narrowed his eyes and lunged. In a small panic, Allison swung, cringing from the pain of the impact from the vorpal sword making contact with her heavy adversary, which was further verbalized as he let out a cry of pain. She shielded herself from the suddenness of his next attack, struggling to stay upright as he launched swipe after swipe, the loud clang of claws against metal. Just when she thought it would never end, he backed off and launched a paw at her legs, completely knocking her off balance.

"Oof!" Feeling the wind knocked out of her, she was stunned for second, but realized the situation and immediately rolled out of the way as William attempted to pounce on her and pin her down. Scrambling to her feet, she immediately realized that her shield was out-of-reach and only brandished the vorpal sword, her heart beating fast as she thought of a solution to her current predicament.

"Waving a weapon with no training," William mocked, a vicious gleam in his eye. "Why do you fight a losing battle?"

She didn't say anything in response and lunged, getting a lucky strike. A deep gash was suddenly present in William's shoulder where she had struck and he roared in pain. Narrowing his eyes at the young woman, he growled and Allison's heart seemed to double in beats. As they circled each other once more, she made a rush for her shield, only for him to lunge. Allison ducked, but felt the vorpal sword fly out of her hand, feeling the wind rush from another swipe of William's giant paw. Scrambling to get the shield, she stood up and time seemed to stand still.

Literally.

And just like that, she felt an enormous blow to her back and the landscape came flying towards her. She could feel and hear the metal of armor scraping against the hard checkered landscape, her exposed cranium feeling each blow to the ground. When her world finally stopped spinning, she realized that she ached all over and could swear that she felt a stream of blood run down the side of her face as her head stung from an open wound.

The ground rumbled beneath her as William pounded towards her, getting closer and closer with each step. Bracing for impact, Allison closed her eyes…

Only to yelp in surprise when she was suddenly lifted into the air and dragged out of the way of her adversary.

"Wha' are ye doin'?!" a familiar voice screeched. "'e could've crushed you!"

She didn't say anything in response, still somewhat dazed from the blow. Larland was now standing inbetween her and William, as Benjamine helped the blonde to her feet. Looking across the battlefield, the unicorn glared at Iracebeth, who currently ordering two of her subjects to tilt the hourglass. The young woman could swear that she saw her reflection in the glass…even with the fact that she wasn't even close to it.

"Okay." Benjamine stood behind Allison, eyes on the weapon. "The only thing Aye can do is give ye fair warning. The Hourglass is only given tae those who Time considers 'is enemies. Or 'fake' Alices. Somethin' tells mae tha' Iracebeth convinced 'im o' the latter and now, tha 'ourglass is locked onto ye. Hence tha fact that ye froze 'n place."

"Froze?" Allison asked, quickly grabbing her shield as Larland distracted William from his target. "You mean as in time?"

"Ye catch on quick, lass," the unicorn continued. "Unless ye win this battle, Time isn't going to be convinced that you're an Alice. So, Aye 'ave one order. When Aye say run, ye run…"

Allison nodded, retrieving the vorpal sword and mentally preparing herself to go into the fray.

"…and ye 'ave tae attack, even if it's at nothing."

Larland landed on his backside, a visible gash on his right arm. Allison blinked. "Even…at nothing?"

"RUN!"

* * *

Tarrant only watched wearily as the blonde dashed across the battlefield with William in hot pursuit, the large creature slowly gained on her. As the Hourglass's effects began to wear down on her, he could only watch in horror as time froze around her and William pounced to attack…

Only to be caught off guard by an attack of her own.

It looked as if she figured out a plan of attack as the lion roared out in rage. A deep gash had appeared where the sword had struck and he held a large paw to his face in agony as his attacker fled.

As William prepared to avenge himself, one could notice with close attention that he was now blinded in his right eye.

The Hatter smiled as he was reminded of an earlier event of five years prior.

Another battle cry filled the air and he watched as she clumsily defended herself from a strike and jumped back from another.

Her muchness wasn't lacking, even if her skills in battle were.

Still, something was still worrying him.

His thoughts once again turned to horror once he heard her cry out.

* * *

"Alice!"

She barely reacted to her name being called as the claws heavily dug into her face, leaving a scar that spread from her cheek to the base of her jaw. She cringed and ignored the dull pain that filled the right side of her face and dulled some of her senses.

Seeing the card soldiers flipping over the hourglass out of the side of her eye and hearing Benjamine's cry, she quickly began to sidestep, keeping her eye on William as she tried to get as far away as possible. Time slowing down around her, she prepared another blow. She watched in silence as the Lion rushed towards her, waiting to catch him off guard. When Time around her resumed, she nearly gasped as her sword hit air and a giant paw came towards her. Putting up her shield just in time, she fell to the ground, silently glad that she reacted like she did.

This pattern went on a while as Allison adjusted her attacks to the timing of the Hourglass, hearing Benjamine's voice less and less once she realized that she was getting used to it. Her confidence grew with every step that she took, with every minute that she wearing her adversary down, with every slash of her sword.

She might actually be able to survive this.

But of course, sometimes things had to get worse before they got better.

She realized that when she swung too early during a nill-timed attack.

William took his opportunity and pounced, sending her flying, her armor scraping loudly against the concrete as she was knocked off her feet once more. Just as she was getting up, she felt time slow down around her as she froze in place. Fear took ahold of her as she felt the rumbling of his paws as he charged towards her. In a panic, she ducked as soon as time resumed. William literally flew over her curled body and she scrambled to her feet as soon as she landed, desperate to regain possession of the vorpal sword.

A sudden onset of debris briefly clouded her sight and she felt around blindly, nearly gasping in relief once she felt the hilt. Taking off into a run, she didn't dare look back when she felt William land in very spot that she was just in.

That staircase seemed very inviting right now. Her shield also lying right at the base…

A loud roar prompted her to put the very thought into action.

Wasting no time, she sprinted towards the towering structure and grabbed her only source of protection, swinging it backwards in an attempt to fend another paw swipe. Taking aback by the force of the swing, she quickly turned and started climbing the staircase, hearing William growl as he began to follow her.

Carefully making her way up the crumbling stone pillar, Allison began to finally feel the effects of the battle. Her chest heaved heavily and her feet were beginning were to feel like lead, compacted with the fact that her armor felt heavier by the second. Jumping over a slight gap, she nearly fell to her knees, but slowly pulled herself up and pressed onward, cursing inwardly as William walked over her previous obstacle with ease.

There had to be a way to end this battle soon and quickly. She knew that if it didn't end soon, she wasn't going to last much longer, making it much easier to become prey to the much larger animal.

As the staircase leveled out to a platform, the battered blonde prepared herself for the next one of William's strikes, suddenly caught off the guard by the fact that the Hourglass' effects had again taken hold of her. She was easily tossed aside, flying backwards into an already disintegrating column. The impact took its toll on her and the giant piece of stone, causing it to break apart and tip forward. She quickly rolled out of the way; however, William failed to get out of the way quickly enough and was briefly immobilized by the heavy pile of debris.

While he was getting his senses, Allison took the chance and continued her way up the staircase.

* * *

Iracebeth smiled.

The girl was going to die.

And she would finally have the crown once more.

Two fractured cries resounded behind her and they were followed by a large crash. The Red Queen shrieked in horror as Time's weapon went crashing to the ground, a war-torn Tarrant standing behind it, sword in hand. He smiled deviously before collapsing.

Too stunned to even answer, the Red Queen angrily raced towards the staircase. Even with the fact that her insurance to win was gone, she was still confident that the battle was hers.

And she was going to see it to the end.

* * *

The crashing of glass distracted almost all of the participants in battle. That also included William who looked down, almost horrified by the twist of 'fate' so to speak. Allison took this chance to plunge the sword into his wounded shoulder, opening up the wound and causing him to cry out in pain. Removing it, she carefully backed up on the stairwell, ignoring the addition of red to her peripheral vision.

"You will pay for that."

He immediately lunged and she staggered out of the way, unwisely turning her back on the large creature. She suddenly fell to the ground as the addition of weight was applied to her back. She froze as she felt William's breath on her neck, his deep growl causing her hair to stand up.

This was it.

She closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself to get used to the darkness that would soon surround her.

That's when she heard what sounded like a gallop.

And suddenly William was suddenly pushed aside.

Benjamine stood over the blonde in defiance, huffing angrily, brandishing her horn towards her life-long adversary. She bared her teeth, but her chest heaved, her coat showing the scars from battle.

"Benjamine, move."

This surprisingly came from the blonde underneath her.

The animal ignored her pleas and charged forward, struggling against William as they ascended further and further up the spiraling staircase.

That's when they reached the top.

And William got the upper hand.

He leapt atop his enemy, pressing a giant paw to her neck and slowly raising another. Even with the fact that the smearing of blood was making her sick, Allison felt a need to help.

She clambered up the staircase.

William was too distracted by getting revenge to even notice her in front of him.

She lifted her sword.

And struck.

He reared back, the vorpal sword stuck in his back. Allison fell back on her backside from exhaustion, watching the unbelievable scene take place before her. The very top of structure crumbled from the combined weight of three combatants and William plummeted towards the ground, bunches of debris following after.

She would never know the loud screech from below was the result of a certain monarch being crushed from her resilience of seeing the fight come to an end that she never expected.

Unfortunately, even though the Lion's downfall of something to celebrate, the blonde felt the ground move under her feet.

Literally.

In a panic, Allison rose, only to scramble as she tried to escape the fate that was about to befall her.

She felt something grab her hair and throw her down the platform below. Landing with a heavy thump, she laid there, woozy from the impact.

But she barely had the energy to call out as her newfound companion fell with collapsing debris moments later.

* * *

**OMIGOD. THAT WAS DEPRESSING. I'M NEVER WRITING BATTLE SCENES AGAIN.**

**CHAPTERS.**

**CHAPTERS, I MEANT.**

**But, wait...I basically have to do that in my FN fanfic soon.**

***facepalms***


End file.
